


Pomade.

by toomanytuesdays



Category: Hairspray (2007), Supernatural
Genre: Cockles, DeanCas - Freeform, Destiel - Freeform, Hairspray, Jared Padalecki - Freeform, Jenmish, Jensen Ackles - Freeform, Link Larkin - Freeform, M/M, Misha Collins - Freeform, Richard Speight Jr - Freeform, Sabriel - Freeform, Tracy Turnblad - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-01-30 09:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21426310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanytuesdays/pseuds/toomanytuesdays
Summary: based on the musical film, hairspray.in 1960's Lawrence, Kansas, sit-com loving teen Castiel Novak auditions for a spot on a popular show "The French Mistake" and succeeds. he becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in comedy, acting and style. but then his sexuality is revealed and the community question whether they want a gay man as their male lead on the show. will Cas convince everyone to let gays on the show, or will Cas' dream go down the drain?disclaimer: i do not own any of the material/characters/plot line in this story; it is only used for your entertainment.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 8





	1. Good Morning, Cas

The alarm beside Castiel Novak's bed rang out, disturbing the silence of the morning. Cas' eyes shot open at the sound; groaning, he rolled over to shut the thing off. Sunlight streamed in through the thin curtains as Cas pushed the covers back and swung his legs over the side of the single bed he calls his own. Stuffing his feet into slippers, he shuffled towards to bathroom to get ready for another day in hell - oops, I mean school.

He washed his face and slicked his hair back, striding back into his room once that was done, searching for his uniform that he discarded the previous night. After finding it underneath his bed (and wondering how in the world it got there) and pulling it on, he strode down the hall towards the kitchen. Both his parents were already up and out at work, so Castiel had to fend for himself in the mornings. He opened the fridge door, looking for something to eat, however when he glanced in, the only item in there was a block of old cheese. Sighing, Cas glanced at the fruit bowl on the table. _Hmm, that apple looks okay_, he thought, grabbing it and walking towards the door, where his book bag sat beside his shoes. He glanced at the time and cursed under his breath: he was going to be late for the bus if he didn't get a wriggle on. Cas hurriedly slipped his shoes onto his feet and his book bag onto his shoulder. He took a bite of the green apple as he rushed out the door.

Strolling down the street, Cas looked around as he munched on the apple, smiling at all the familiar views he sees on his walk to the bus stop. First up was the pawn shop, which had a reflective window where Cas liked to stop and check his hair was still in place. Cas wasn't vain, but he still liked to keep up his appearance. There were "popular" people at his school and they would bully you if you didn't look nice. Well, they'd bully you anyway but if you looked nice, there was slightly less bullying going on. Next was a collection of rats that always ate the crumbs tossed out by the baker from the bakery every morning. Cas wasn't too fond of rats so he always crossed the road here, avoiding them at all costs. Cas checked his watch again. Right about now, a man in a beige trench coat will walk past and flash the ladies giggling behind Cas. Cas looked up to see he was correct, the man walking towards him now. Cas smirked to himself as they passed and he heard the ladies behind him scream. "Like clockwork," he muttered to himself.

As he reached the corner of the block, crossing over to the next one, he passed the local pub. Inside Cas could see Doug, the local drunk, hunched over the bar. Castiel waved at him, and he waved back before slouching back down. Cas shook his head. _He should really get some help_, he thought.

Castiel crossed the road again; only one block to go before the bus stop. As he walked, he could see many people rushing towards his destination. At first he didn't think anything of it, but after glancing at his watch again, he cursed under his breath, picking up his pace to a run. Weaving through the people walking in the opposite direction, Cas ran as fast as his little legs could take him. He could see the last few people getting on the bus mere meters in front of him. Yelling, he reached the bus stop just as the doors closed. The bus driver pulled away from the curb without even a glance at the boy standing outside his doors.

Foully cursing, out loud this time, Cas watched the bus drive away from him. He couldn't be late again, he couldn't afford to be late again. If he wanted his dreams to come true then he had to get to school on time, no matter how much he hated it. Castiel sighed and began his long trekk to school.

~*~

Castiel arrived at the school an hour later, his feet aching in his school shoes. He snuck in the front doors and towards his first class of the day, even though it would be finishing in a few minutes.

Peeking around the door frame, he saw his Geography teacher, Mrs. McCann, writing on the blackboard. Deciding she was old enough to not hear him, Cas slipped around the door frame and snuck to an empty desk at the back of the room.

"If you come late to my class one more time, Mr. Novak, I will write you a detention," Mrs. McCann spoke still facing the board as Castiel slid into the chair.

"Yes, ma'am" Castiel replied, face heating up. But before he could get his books out of his bag, the bell interrupted him and the silent classroom burst into sudden noise and movement. Castiel sighed and stood back up. Following his fellow classmates out of the door and into the already bustling hallway. As he made his way to his locker, he spotted his best friend, Gabriel, leaning against it.

"Cas!" Gabriel cried, waving enthusiastically at his friend once he spotted him. Castiel grinned as he reached him.

"Hey, Gabe," he replied, shoving the boy to the side so he could open his locker.

"Where were you? I couldn't find you this morning," Gabriel said, making conversation as Cas swapped his books around.

"I missed the bus," he replied.

"Again?"

"Yeah, I lost track of time."

"Maybe you should wake up a bit earlier," Gabe suggested as Cas shut his locker. "Or maybe you should spend less time doing your hair." Gabe reached out and ran a hand through Castiel's hair, hand coming out slicked with gel. He wrinkled his face in disgust and wiped his hand on Cas' shirt.

"Gabe!" Castiel protested, scowling at the laughing boy. "I don't want to get up earlier. And I don't want to spend less time on my hair. It's my pride and joy."

"Yeah, that and Dean Winchester!" Gabriel retorted, snorting as they began walking towards their next class.

"Shh! Someone will hear you!" Cas whisper-shouted, frowning at Gabe as the pair rounded the corner towards their next class.

"Cas is in love wit-"

"Shh!" Cas slapped his hand across Gabriel's mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence. Gabe just rolled his eyes and licked Castiel's hand. Instantly, Cas pulled his hand from Gabe's mouth, wiping it on his pants in disgust.

"Oh, would you look who it is. It's the queer pair," a voice from behind them snickered. Both boys turned to see Crowley, a dark-haired, British boy that moved to Lawrence a few years back, and Cas' arch nemesis, with his side-kicks, Alastair and Ruby. Why she got caught up with all this drama, Cas will never know; she was a nice girl.

Gabe stepped forward, between Cas and Crowley, facing Cas. "Is that someone talking? Oh wait, it's must be Jowly Crowley because my ears are bleeding," he said loudly, shooting a death glare over his shoulder at Crowley and his troops. Behind him, Ruby sniggered. Without begin able to think up a witty enough comeback to Gabe's, Crowley just grunted and turned on his heel, stalking away.

"Jesus Christ, what an asshole," Gabe muttered as Cas turned to the opposite direction Crowley went in and walked towards his next class.

"Gabe, we need to just leave it. He's not worth it," Cas said, trying to be the bigger man.

"Yeah, well tell that to him," Gabe replied, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder in Crowley's direction. Cas just rolled his eyes as they entered the class room.

"Are you still coming to mine after school to watch the show?" he asked as the pair sat at two desks near the back.

"Even if you didn't ask, Cas, I would still come. And you know that," Gabe replied. The bells rang and in walked the teacher, already yelling at the class to shut up. Oh, what a day!

~*~

"Gabe, come on!" Cas yelled as the final bell of the school day rang. Grabbing Gabe's hand whether he was ready or not, Cas started running out the door of the classroom into the already full corridor.

"Hurry!" he called back to Gabe, who had slipped out of his grasp in the throng of people.

"Jesus, Cas. I'm coming! Outta my way!" He heard Gabe call. The pair made it to the front doors and out into the sunshine.

"Push! We're gonna be late!" Cas called, not wanting to wait for the bus and taking off down the street in full sprint. Gabe stopped for a second, catching his breath and watching his friend sprint off down the road.

"Why do we have to run? The bus is right there," he muttered to himself, but all in all, taking off running after Cas. "I hate running."

The pair arrived at Cas' house, sweating and out of breath. They dumped their satchels on the table in the front room and ran to the TV, flicking it on. They flopped back on the couch as the opening credits to "The French Mistake", the boys' favourite TV show, started on the screen.

"Just in time!" Cas said proudly, turning up the volume so he could hear his favourite actor, Dean's voice loud and clear.

Just as the first ad break was starting, Castiel's dad, Gadreel, arrived home. Cas and Gabe heard him rustling around in the front room for a few minutes before he appeared in the doorway to the living room, slightly out of breath, shoe-less and his tie already loosened.

"Would you turn that dreadful noise down?" he groaned, stalking through the living room and into his study.

"Hello to you too, Dad," Castiel replied. "And it's not dreadful noise; it's "The French Mistake"."

"Well, it's turning your brains into mush," Gadreel muttered, still bumping around in his study.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Novak!" Gabriel said cheerily, sucking on a lollipop that he found once the pair had settled to watch the show. "And it needs to be loud. It adds to the dramatic factor of the show." The pair giggled as Gabe struck a pose emphasizing the 'dramatic factor'. Gadreel appeared in the doorway to his study, rubbing his face from exhaustion.

"Well, I can't hear myself think with that on. How am I supposed to relax after a long, hard day at work?" Gadreel sighed, moving back through the living room towards the kitchen.

Suddenly there was an abrupt knock at the door, followed by a gruff voice shouting, "Gadreel!".

Gabe's face instantly paled and he stood up, jumping over the back of the couch to hide. Cas threw a throw after him, to conceal him from sight, and turned back to the TV as if nothing had changed.

"In here, Michael," Gadreel called back. A few seconds later, Cas saw Gabe's father poke his head into the living room, before turning into the kitchen.

"You're letting him watch that corrupt show again?" Cas heard Micheal mutter to his own father. "My son spends every afternoon at Bible Study."

"Oh, really? Well, your son hap-" Gadreel started but stopped when he noticed Castiel jump up from the couch and wave his hands around behind Michael's back. "What?" he said impatiently.

Cas furiously mimed and mouthed the word no, shaking his head and pointing over the couch where Gabe was hiding.

"What are you saying? You? Gabriel. No?" Gadreel said. As soon as he heard Gabe's name, Micheal's head snapped around to face Castiel, facial expression wild.

"Castiel Novak, are you trying to tell me that Gabriel didn't have permission from his father to be here after school?" Gadreel stormed. Both father's faces were storming with rage as Gabriel slowly peeked out from his hiding spot.

"Gabriel!" Micheal fumed, stomping over to his son and grabbing him by the ear. "You are banned from this house!" Pulling Gabe by the ear, Michael marched towards the front door. "You will never watch that show again!"

"Without that show I have nothing!" Gabe cried, grabbing his book bag as he passed through the front room.

"Having nothing builds character," Micheal replied, opening the front door and marching Gabriel out into the street. "Goodbye, Gadreel!" he called behind him as the door slammed shut. Gadreel turned towards Castiel with his hands on his hips, a scowl adorning his face. Castiel just shrugged before turning back to his programme.


	2. 'The French Mistake'

"Cut!" the director yelled, her voice cutting through the silent studio. The cameras were shut off, the actors breaking character. The manager of the studio where "The French Mistake" was filmed, Rowena, made her way from behind the viewing screen and towards Dean Winchester, heels clicking on the wooden floor as she walked. She wove between other crew members who were fixing the props back into their place for the next take.

"Dean," Rowena drawled as she came into earshot. Dean's head snapped up from adjusting one of his props at the sound of his name. "Was that extra wink really necessary?"

"I just thought it would be funny," Dean said, grinning with pride. In the last scene, Dean had winked at his fellow male colleague at the end of an argument.

"But we air to kids, Dean. We can't have faggots on the show. Otherwise we'd be taken off air," Rowena scowled.

"Faggots?" Dean questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't do it again," Rowena scolded before turning on her heel and stalking off to find her next prey. She strode over to one of the female cast members, had a silent conversation before the girl turned and ran off crying. Dean just rolled his eyes and turned back to his prop. This woman was just too much for him. Behind him, Dean heard Rowena raise her voice.

"Crowley. Crowley!" she shouted across the room, heels clicking as she walked towards her son. Dean turned to see Crowley locking lips with one of the female cast members. Crowley pulled away from the girl and over at his mother in disgust.

"What?"

By this time, Rowena had wedged herself between the couple, facing Crowley. They had a hushed conversation that Dean couldn't hear before Crowley groaned loudly and turned away, stomping over to hair and makeup. Rowena gave the girl and look which Dean could only describe as pure evil, and marched away to find someone else to pick on. Dean just rolled his eyes again. Rowena was a piece of work, to say the least. She told everyone what to do and how to act, despite her not being the director or even the owner of the show. She was just here to make sure they didn't blow up the studio while they were filming. She went easy on Dean; he played the main character and was on good terms with her son, but she was a huge homophobe and would rather sabotage everyone's career for hers to succeed. Dean hated her.

"Five minute break!" he heard Rowena's shrill voice call out, the sound bouncing off the walls in the large room making it even more horrid. Dean sighed; he needed a break. Setting his props down, he jogged to his dressing room in need of some good food.

~*~

The following afternoon, Castiel and Gabriel stood outside the local TV shop on Main Street, watching "The French Mistake" on the tellys they had in the shop window.

"This sucks," Gabe moaned, a red lollipop balancing on his lips. "My feet hurt."

"I know, but you're banned from my house so this is the only way we can watch the show," Cas replied, eyes glued to Dean on the several screens. As Crowley came on the screen he groaned. "Why does _he_ get be on the show and I don't? I'm so much better than him."

"Dude, even if you sucked at acting, you'd still be better than Crowley," Gabriel snorted, rolling his eyes and the British Bully on the screens. Cas just sighed.

"Oh, Dean, why don't you notice me at school?" he murmured longingly. As the episode ended and the credits started to roll up on the screens, Gabriel pulled at Cas' arm.

"Come on, it's finished now. Can we go? I'm hungry and I need to sit down," he moaned. Cas' eyes stayed glued to the screen as a notice popped up with the heading, _Stay Tuned for an Important Announcement!_

"Gabe!" Cas exclaimed and his friend stopped yanking on his arm.

"What?"

Cas pointed at the screens but the notice disappeared before Gabe had a chance to read it; Dean's grinning face taking it's place.

"Hi, I'm Dean Winchester from the hit show, "The French Mistake". Would you like to join me as a lead actor on the show? We have an open spot and here's your chance! Cut school tomorrow and come down to the KAZ2Y5 station to audition."

Cas slowly turned to Gabriel, eyes wide, jaw slack.

"Cas . . ." Gabe started.

"Gabe, I have to go!" Cas shrieked, leaping into the air and breaking off into a run in the direction of his house. Gabriel groaned in response and chased after him.

"I hate running," he muttered to himself.

~*~

"No."

"But Dad-"

"I said no, Castiel. Don't test me," Gadreel stated firmly, placing his reading glasses on his nose as a statement to say "this conversation is over". The two were in Gadreel's study as he caught up on the day's news and mail.

"Please, Dad!" Cas begged. He had just told Gadreel about the audition for "The French Mistake" and it wasn't going down well.

"I will not let you throw away your future on a silly little acting job. You need a real education to get a real job." Gadreel took his glasses off again and firmly stared at Castiel.

"I don't want to have a boring job like you. I want to be famous!" Castiel cried. He had the urge to stamp his foot like a toddler but fought it, knowing that definitely won't go down well with his father.

"Castiel, stop acting like a five-year old girl. You are a growing man. You can't be famous," Gadreel said, turning back to his newspaper. Just as Castiel was about to open his mouth to reply, his Pa entered the room, his usual smiley self. The complete opposite to his father.

"What's all this ruckus about, huh?" Balthazar asked, moving to stand between his husband and son.

"Papa, tomorrow I'm going to audition to be on this TV show called "The French Mistake" and-"

"No, he's not," Gadreel butt in.

"You are?" Balthazar asked, excitement crossing his features as he took in the news.

"Don't encourage him, Balthazar."

"He doesn't understand anything I want to do, Papa," Castiel groaned, moving over to stand next to his _favourite_ father. "Acting on that show is my dream! Just because _he_ has as many dreams as a piece of cardboard-"

"Excuse me, mister, you cannot-"

"Gadreel," Balthazar said firmly, holding his hand out to silence his husband. "Castiel, could you please go to your room. We will discuss this again when you both have calmed down."

Castiel scowled at Gadreel, but obeyed his Pa's orders, crossing his arms in a huff and leaving the room.

"Oh, Balthy. He thinks I'm being mean, but I'm not!" Gadreel burst out as soon as their son was out of ear shot. "I know what those television people are like. They'll crush his dreams. I'm only trying to protect him!"

Balthazar moved over to where his husband was sitting, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll talk to him." was all he said before squeezing Gadreel's shoulder and leaving the room. He made his way up the staircase, and along the hallway until he reached the closed door that belonged to Castiel's room. He could hear soft sobs from inside. Balthazar knocked softly before pushing open the door.

Castiel was sitting atop his bed, crying into his pillow. When his Pa entered, he quickly wiped his eyes free of tears.

"Cas," Balthazar began, taking a perch beside his son, "I think you should go for this audition."

Instantly, the dark clouds that surrounded Cas' face cleared for the sunshine.

"Really?"

"Really. You have the biggest heart, kid, and I know that you will be amazing at everything that you set your heart to. If acting is what you want to do, then go for it. Don't let Dad get in the way of your dreams, and don't you worry about him. I'll sort him out." Balthazar winked, and the pair laughed.

Castiel sighed happily before wrapping his Pa into a big hug. "Thank you, Papa," he whispered into Balthazar's shirt. Balthazar just smiled and hugged his son tighter.


	3. An Unfortunate Audition

The following day, Castiel and Gabriel found themselves walking into the KAZ2Y5 studio, in awe of their surrounding. Here they were, on the real set of "The French Mistake", where the real show was filmed, where the real Dean and other actors said their real lines for the real cameras. Cas and Gabe could hardly contain their excitement.

"I can't believe I'm really here auditioning!" Cas exclaimed, tugging on Gabriel's arm.

"I can't believe I'm really here watching you audition," Gabe replied, grinning from ear to ear, twirling the red lollipop in his mouth.

After wandering, mouths agape, through the sets, the pair found themselves in a dressing room with several other teenagers, who all looked incredibly nervous. Up until now, Castiel didn't feel any nerves, but now that he was close to being in the room where he will stand and say actual words in front of Dean Winchester, his heart started to thump inside his chest.

"I don't think I can do this," Cas suddenly said, turning to an excited Gabriel. The only reason he was excited was because he didn't have to audition.

"What?" Gabe exclaimed, whirling around and placing his hands on Cas' shoulders, giving them a little shake. "Snap out of it, man! This is your dream! Don't let your nerves get in the way of what you really want! And this is your chance to talk to Dean!"

"That's what I'm nervous about!" Castiel exclaimed, shoving Gabe's hands off him. "I don't think I can just stand in front of him and act! This is the first time I've acted in front of anyone except you!"

Gabe scoffed. "You act like you're not gay every day," he muttered. Cas' eyes widened.

"Gabriel!" he scolded. The pair were silent for a second. Cas closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Gabe's eyes wandered the room. Suddenly Cas gave a big sigh and opened his eyes.

"You're right," he said. "I've come all this way; I can't back out now."

Gabe grinned. "You got this." The two made their way over to the sign-in desk and Cas wrote his name on the list. After a stage hand explained to them what would happen in the audition, Gabe and Cas sat down along the edge of the room and started discussing the show.

About half an hour later, his name was called and Cas made his way through to a small auditorium. A microphone was shoved into his hands, and he was pushed onto the stage. The stage was lit with stage lights but the seats were dark; only the reflection of the lights on the stage lit up the first few rows. Castiel could make out a few human-shaped figures sitting in the audience, and he hoped and prayed that Crowley wasn't one of them.

"Name, please," a shrill, Scottish accented voice boomed through the speakers as if the beholder was speaking through a microphone of their own.

"C-C-Castiel Novak," Cas stuttered, nerves flooding back again. Dean is probably out there watching him. Right now. Dean's eyes were on him. Right now.

"Proceed," the voice said. Cas took a deep breath. His forehead felt wet with sweat; the stage lights were hot. As he opened his mouth to begin the lines that he had practised in the mirror over and over all night, he was interrupted by the voice again.

"That's enough," it echoed.

"But-"

"Enough! You may go!"

Castiel deflated. This was so not fair. He didn't even get a chance to say a word.

"T-tha-thank you," he stuttered before turning and walking off the stage. He shoved the microphone into the awaiting stage hand and pushed into the green room where Gabe was waiting. He stood as he saw Castiel enter.

"Cas-"

"We're leaving, Gabe," Cas said, grabbing his bag and marching out of the studio.

"Cas, what happened?" Gabriel tried to consolidate his friend.

"I don't want to talk about it," Cas grumbled and he marched along the street towards school.

Gabe watched his friend go. "Why do we have to walk," he moaned to himself before jogging to catch up to Castiel.  
  


~*~  
  


As Castiel made his way to his first class of the morning, he hoped and prayed that he could sneak in without old Mrs. McCann noticing him.

He noticed she was facing the board again when he reached the doorway, and slipped into the classroom to the empty desk at the back.

"Cutting my class again, Mr. Novak? I trust it was something really important," Mrs. McCann said without turning around. Castiel swore she had eyes in the back of her head.

Cas sighed heavily. "It should've been," he muttered, almost rolling his eyes. Mrs. McCann turned on her heel and stalked over to her desk. She grabbed a pink detention slip, a scowl on her face as she maintained eye contact with Castiel. He just stared back. After she turned away to fill out the slip, Cas' face distorted. Having a detention on his clean record was not going to go down well with his father. As Mrs. McCann lifted the slip into the air, holding it between her wrinkly fingers, Castiel stood reluctantly and shuffled through the rows of desks towards the ominously pink slip. Taking it from his teacher's grasp, he left the room and made his way towards the dedicated detention room.

As Cas neared the detention room, his ears pricked to the sound of music. Frowning slightly he made it to the door and pushed it open. Inside music was playing loudly from a stereo in the corner. Small groups of students were scattered across the classroom, containing people who were sitting on desks, chairs, the floor, anything. They were chatting and laughing amongst themselves, not a teacher in sight.

Cas made his way through the room, studying all the types of people in the room. Closest to the door were a group of goth-looking girls; head to toe in black, dramatic eyeliner, bored looks adorning their faces. One of them even had bright pink hair. As Castiel passed them, one of them glared up at him.

"What are you looking at?" she retorted.

"Nothing! Not you," Cas quickly said, backing away slightly. He averted his eyes to a group sitting near the back, in particular a tall boy with long hair leaning against the window. The sunlight streaming in behind him gave him a holy glow, making him look slightly like Jesus. He looked up as Cas inched nervously nearer.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked, smiling a warm smile.

"Uh, I'm here for, um, detention?" Cas said, holding up his pink slip for the boy to see.

The boy chuckled and leaned forward, taking the slip from Cas. "You're in the right place, then," he said, winking. Castiel couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Find a place to sit, join in on a conversation, everyone's welcome," the boy said, gesturing around the room before taking Cas' slip to the desk at the front of the room. Castiel grinned; he already felt like he could fit in here. He took a seat next to a younger looking boy with caramel hair who had a kind face. He smiled at Cas as he sat down.

"Hi, I'm Jack," the boy said, sticking his hand out to Cas.

"Castiel." The two shook hands, smiling warmly.

"Oh, my apologies! I forgot to introduce myself," the Jesus boy said as he returned to the group. "My name is Sam."

Cas grinned and fell easily into the group discussion.

~*~

"No, I get who Caesar is. But what's the 'Ideas of March'? I mean, how can a month have an idea?" Benny queried as him and Dean walked through the empty hallway towards their class. They had just finished filming the latest episode of "The French Mistake" and as usual they had exemptions for the classes they miss during filming hours.

Dean shrugged as the pair rounded a corner and towards the room that held detention. As Benny continued rambling on, Dean noticed a bout of laughter coming from the room.

"Hold on," Dean interrupted Benny, holding a hand out to stop his friend. He stepped closer to the door, peeking into the window.

Inside, a dark-haired boy was standing at the front of the class. It seemed like he was re-enacting something to the class, who were in fits of giggles watching him. Dean was intrigued. He grabbed Benny and pulled him towards the door. Pushing it open and stepping in, the two could now hear exactly what was happening in the room.

"How do you like detention now?" a boy called from the audience of students.

"I'm a bad, bad boy who needs to be punished!" the dark-haired boy at the front of the room replied, leaning over and slapping his own ass. The class burst into laughter which subsided to giggles when they noticed Dean and Benny standing in the doorway watching on. Dean heard Benny snort and he elbowed him in the ribs in reply.

When Cas noticed that his audience's focus wasn't on him anymore, he turned to see what they were looking at. Instantly his face went red with embarrassment and he shied away. Dean freaking Winchester was standing not even six feet away from him. And Cas had just slapped his own ass in front of him. He was mortified. Great first impression, Cas.

Dean grinned at him and took a shy step forward. "Hey," he said, his eyes raking up and down Cas' body. The student audience was silent, watching the two's exchange. Castiel was too embarrassed to reply. Instead he shuffled his feet on the spot.

"You know, the producer of my show, Bobby, is having an open mic night tomorrow. If he saw how you could captivate an audience like that with your acting . . . He'd put you on the show," Dean said, gesticulating as he talked.

Cas nodded, murmuring a noise that he hoped sounded like a response. Just as Dean was about to open his mouth again to speak, the bell rang, signalling the end of class. The other detention students all moved at once, gathering their belongings and pushing past Dean and Benny to get out into the bustling hallway. Sam appeared at Cas' side, Cas' bag in his hand, his own on his shoulder. But Cas only could watch Dean. Dean looked up in the general direction of the bell before turning back towards Benny.

"See ya," he said to Cas, winking. Cas all but melted. Sam pushed Cas forward at the same time as Dean stepped to the side, causing the two to bump into each other.

"Oh, sorry there, sweetheart. I hope I didn't dent your 'do," Dean drawled, tipping his head and turning on his heel, disappearing into the hallway crowd.

Somehow Cas found himself out in the crowd as well, his bag on his shoulder and standing outside his locker. Gabe appeared next to him and asked him something but Cas didn't take any notice. He was too busy watching the back of Dean's head moving away from him down the hall.

The rest of the day was a blur for Castiel. His skin burnt where Dean's body brushed against his, even through the clothing. He couldn't focus on his classes because his mind kept wandering back to the way Dean had looked at him. The grin. The wink. The lip-bite. Did he bite his lip? Or did Cas make that up? He didn't care because Dean freaking Winchester noticed him and talked to him and touched him. It was all he could think about. And Cas could only hope that Dean was thinking the same.


	4. Comedic Cas

On the night of the open mic event, Castiel stood in his bedroom, frowning at himself in the mirror. He was having a wardrobe crisis. Nothing seemed good enough to wear. He needed to look incredible. Especially now that Dean had noticed him.

Cas sighed; why does having a crush have to be so high maintenance? After trying on every single item of clothing in every single possible combination, Cas settled, ironically, for the first combination he had tried on - a soft blue button down shirt and some casual but formal jeans. 

Not entirely happy with his outfit choice but deciding it was the best of what he's got, Cas gathered his wallet, keys and a jacket for later, before leaving his room and heading downstairs. He rushed past the living room door, yelling a goodbye to his dads, who were cuddled up on the couch.

"Whoa! Hold it there, young man. Where are you going?" Gadreel grumbled, causing Cas to halt in the door frame.

"Gadreel!" Balthazar scolded his husband. "Stop being so grumpy and let the boy live a little! We talked about this."

Castiel watched as his fathers have a brief conversation with their eyes before Gadreel sighed and turned back to his son waiting in the doorway.

"Okay, fine. Be back by 10. Don't drink any alcohol, do any drugs or have any sex. Take Gabriel with you and be safe!"

Cas grinned, bounding over to his parents and leaning over to give them both sloppy kisses on the cheek.

"Thank you so much! I love you!" he called over his shoulder as he fumbled to get his dress shoes on and out the door onto the street. It was only 6:30pm, but the sun had already set long ago on the city of Lawrence. Cas grinned, and began his journey to the bar where the open mic night was being held. He made it there in no time, and spotted Gabriel leaning against the outside wall, sucking on yet another lollipop and waiting for him. 

The pair grinned at each other when they made eye contact, and Gabe pushed off the wall, meeting with Cas and wrapping him in a hug.

"I'm glad you came! After the audition I wasn't sure if you would," he said as they pulled away.

"Dean invited me and he's going to be here. There's no way I'd miss it for the world," Cas replied. Gabe grinned and linked his arm into Castiel's.

"Let's go then!" They made their way into the crowded bar. As they walked in, on the right hand side of the room was the bar, spanning the length of the room. At the very back stood a small stage, with a single microphone stand adorning it. It seemed like they hadn't started yet. In front of the stage, chairs had been set out in rows facing the stage, people already filling them up. To the left of Castiel and Gabe, some tall bar stools and tables filled the space. Cas couldn't see anyone he knew, so he leaned towards Gabe, yelling over the noise of people talking that he was going to snag the free bar table in the corner.

Gabe grinned. "I'm going to get some drinks." He winked at Cas, but before Cas could tell him he wasn't allowed to drink any alcohol, Gabe had disappeared in the direction of the bar. Cas just shook his head and made his way to the table. He perched on the bar stool, taking another look around the room from his new vantage point. He could see a few faces that he recognised from detention yesterday, but none of them were Sam. Gabe suddenly returned with two tumblers of a light brown liquid, passing one to Cas. He took it and eyed it suspiciously.

"Gabe . . ." he said cautiously. "I'm not allowed to drink alcohol . . ."

Gabe scowled. "Don't worry. The bar tender wouldn't give me any. It's iced tea. He thought it'd be funny if he served it like whiskey." He chugged the drink back, slamming the empty glass on the table with annoyance. "What a waste."

Cas chuckled and also tipped his glass back, downing the sweet tasting brown liquid. As he sat his own empty glass down on the sticky table, his eyes wandered back to the detention group. During his distraction, Sam had joined the group and was laughing with the others. Cas' eyes lit up and he muttered to Gabe that he was going to say hello, slipping off his chair and making his way over. 

He reached the group, grinning at the few members who noticed him approaching. "Hey guys!"

Sam turned and grinned up at Cas. "Castiel! I'm glad you made it!"

Cas smiled back, and sat in the empty seat next to Sam. "I'm just here to watch, I don't think I'll get up there."

"What?" Sam exclaimed incredulously. "Why not? You're amazing! You deserve to be up there."

"Well, are you going up?" Castiel ignored his question.

"Who me? No. No, no, no. I'm not a comedian like you. I don't have the natural talent either. No. I'm just here to watch," Sam quickly back-tracked. Cas just smirked as an older man stepped onto the stage. The crowd silenced as he reached the microphone.

"How's it going tonight, folks?" he said, his voice filling the silence. The crowd cheered in response. The man introduced himself as Bobby, and Castiel recognised that he was the owner of the studio that produced 'The French Mistake'. Cas zoned out a bit after that, scanning the room again. This time he was looking for Dean. He spotted him, sitting close to the left side of the stage with the other cast members of the show. Immediately upon spotting him, Cas felt nervous. 

He sat with Sam through the first round of people performing on stage - some of them reading poems, others doing skits, some even singing or playing an instrument. The variety was vast, but everyone was equally talented. As they took an intermission, Cas turned to Sam.

"Everyone is so talented," he said, making conversation.

"You're better than them," Sam replied, not skipping a beat. "You're more talented than all of them put together."

Cas blushed at Sam's kind words. "I haven't even signed up," he said, beginning to make excuses.

"I signed you up before you got here," Sam replied again, the confidence that he had in Cas oozing through his voice. Cas' eyes bulged.

"What if I hadn't shown up?" he questioned.

"They would've skipped you. It's not big deal. But honestly, Cas, this is your last opportunity. If you want to be on the show, you have to do this," Sam replied, his face completely serious. Cas just sighed. He turned around to find Gabe, who gave him a warm smile and a thumbs up. He then turned to Dean, who was sprawled casually in a seat, listening to one of his cast mates telling a story, his eyes soft, mouth formed in a hard line of concentration. Cas knew Sam was right. He would kick himself if he didn't do it. Especially after the unfair audition he had. This was just casual. Fun, even. There was no stress of auditioning. It'll be just like yesterday in detention.

"It'll be just like detention," Sam said, speaking Castiel's thoughts aloud. That was the decider for Castiel. 

"Alright," he said. Sam's face erupted into a warm smile and he clapped Cas on the back.

"Great! You're up first then," he said as Bobby got back on stage to announce the start of the second round of people. Cas paled.

"I'm what?" he said to Sam as he heard Bobby announce his name on stage. The bar began to clap as Sam grinned and pushed him up onto the stage. He took Bobby's place on stage, already starting to sweat from the nerves. His eyes darted around the room, from Sam to Gabe to Dean, who all grinned at him in encouragement, even Dean. And that was enough for Cas to swallow, take a deep breath, and open his mouth.

"A good book is called a page turner," he began, surprised at how clear and confident his own voice sounded. "You know, on the back they always say it's a real page turner, which is the minimum I expect from a book." The audience giggled, which fuelled Cas to go on.

"People are like, "is that a good book?". "No, the pages don't turn"," he continued, relaxing more and more into the joke as people began to genuinely laugh. He continued with the gag, easing more and more until he was getting full belly laughs from the audience, tears streaming down a few of their faces. Cas looked to Dean, who had the biggest laughing grin on his face, his green eyes shining with happiness. And that was all Cas needed. 

When the gag was over, he thanked the audience and ducked off stage to the sound of roaring applause. Cas couldn't wipe the smile off his face. That felt _good_. He sat back down next to Sam, who congratulated him along with the other detention people and some other strangers whom he passed. For the rest of the round, Castiel couldn't wipe the smile from his face; not even the depressing poem that one person read out could sadden him. 

As the second round ended, Cas stood, saying goodbye and thank you to Sam, and began to make his way back to Gabe. The short walk across the room would have taken him not even 30 seconds, but due to the amount of praise he got on the way, it took him 3 minutes. As he eventually made it to Gabe, the pair embraced again. 

"You were amazing!" Gabe exclaimed. "How did it feel?"

"Thanks, Gabe. It felt amazing. Really good. I could have stayed up there for longer," Cas replied, taking a seat back on his bar stool. As he situated himself, he looked back into the room and noticed Dean making a beeline for him. He instantly blushed, trying to look casual as he turned back to Gabe to make pretend conversation.

"So, I was sitting with the people-"

"Hey there, mind if I interrupt?" Dean arrived at their table, interrupting Cas' sentence. Cas reddened again, glancing over to Gabe, who had a shit-eating grin on his face as he watched the two's exchange.

"Uh, n-no, no problem," Cas mumbled, bringing his eyes up to meet Dean's. Those candy apple green eyes which were trained on him and seemed like they would never want to leave. 

"You were great," Dean said, a pleased smirk forming on his face. "Absolutely amazing."

It seemed like Castiel was permanently blushing when Dean was around. "Thank you," he murmured, unable to maintain the eye contact with Dean. It made him squirm in his seat and things flutter in his stomach that he'd never felt before. He could still feel Dean's eyes on him as a rough voice interrupted their silence.

"Castiel," the voice said, drawing Cas' eyes up from his lap. It was Bobby. Dean moved to the side so Bobby could shake Cas' hand. "That was excellent," he continued. "Truly talented. To be able to make an entire room of people laugh like that."

"Thank you, sir," Cas replied, eyes flicking to Dean, who nodded in agreement.

"It's exactly what this show needs," Bobby said. "I'd like to offer you a part on the show."

Castiel's jaw dropped. "Y-y-you wh-what?" he stammered, shocked.

"Come by the studio tomorrow morning and we can do a screen-test. I believe you'll be great. Congratulations." Bobby winked at Cas before turning and walking back to the stage to announce the start of the third round. Gabe wrapped Castiel in a hug, exclaiming his congratulations. 

"I'm so proud of you, man!" he said. Castiel grinned at his best friend. He checked his watch, seeing that it was nearing 10pm and cursed, jumping up from his seat.

"I have to get going! Thank you so much for coming, Gabe! I appreciate your support." He turned to Dean. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will see you tomorrow." He turned and began to walk away when Dean grabbed his arm.

"Hey, where's the fire? Let me walk you home," Dean said, his eyes softening. 

Cas' eyes widened. Dean freaking Winchester wanted to walk _him_ home. Blushing again, Cas nodded. Dean's face broke into a grin.

"Awesome. Wait right here, I have to grab a few things." Dean disappeared into the crowd and Cas turned to Gabriel, who winked at him.

"Good luck," he said, before wrapping Cas in another hug goodbye. He then too disappeared into the crowd, in the opposite direction to Dean. Castiel didn't have to wait long before Dean had reappeared beside him, ready to go. The pair pushed through the crowd and into the open air of the street. A slight breeze had started up, causing Cas to stop and put his jacket on.

Cas and Dean wandered down the street, shoulders brushing and chatting as if they were old friends. Within no time, they made it to Cas' house, stopping and turning to face each other.

"You really were amazing tonight," Dean said, causing Cas to blush yet again and look down at his feet. "You're so cute when you blush."

Cas' eyes widened and he snapped his head up to look at Dean. Did he really just say that? Dean didn't seem phased and he leaned down to kiss Cas on the slightly reddened cheek. His skin burned where Dean's lips touched, similarly to when he bumped into him yesterday. But it felt _good_. 

"See you tomorrow," Dean said, waving and turning on his heel. Castiel stood there and watched him go until he turned the corner and was out of sight. He turned and strode up to the house, unable to wipe the small grin from his face. He made it inside and took his shoes off, in a slight daze. It was his father that broke it.

"You're late." Gadreel stood, arms folded in the doorway to the living room. The house was dark except for the lamp they left on in the living room overnight. Cas hadn't even noticed.

"I'm sorry," was all Cas said.

"You shouldn't do that."

"I said I was sorry, Dad. And I didn't have any alcohol or sex or do any drugs. And it's only a few minutes after 10 and-"

"Not that," Gadreel interrupted. "You shouldn't kiss boys on the street."

Cas snapped back to earth. His father saw that?!

"Dad, it was just-"

"Anyone could see you, Castiel. I'm just trying to protect you. People are vicious, especially about people like us. They will hurt you, maybe even try to take you away from us. Don't do it again, for your own safety." Gadreel's words were soft, but his voice hard, stern, protective. Castiel understood. He muttered his apologies and pushed past his father and up to his room. He was now in a grump. He'd had this amazing evening, all for it to be ruined by his father. Typical. 


	5. A Corrupting Influence

In the weeks following the open mic night, Castiel's popularity skyrocketed. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to know everything and anything about him. From his favourite colour, to his shoe size, people were going Cas crazy, and Cas was loving every second of it. The merchandise that the show was making for Cas' character was selling out within minutes all across the Lawrence township, and wherever Cas looked, he saw his own face staring right back at him, right alongside Dean's.

The best part of it though was all the time he was spending with Dean. With his character being a lead, it meant that almost every scene he had was with Dean, and acting alongside him was a dream. He was so much more attractive in person, and when they weren't rolling, Cas often found himself staring across the room at his handsome co-star. In the down time between scenes, Cas and Dean grew closer as friends. They shared interests and likes and dislikes, and on Cas' behalf, began to fall more in love with the other. Little did he know, Dean was secretly falling for him too.

The other crazy thing that came with being famous was his popularity at school. All of a sudden, every teenager at Lawrence High School wanted to be near Castiel, to know him, become friends with him, or get an autograph from him. And the only place they could do that was in detention.

The crowd that accumulated outside the door, of students wanting detention just to be close to Cas, grew and grew every day. But the amount of people couldn't all fit inside the detention room, so it became coined the VIP detention room. Cas was the decider about who was allowed to join the VIP detention room, and they even had a bodyguard - one of the goth-looking girls, called Meg, who just gave a death stare to anyone wasn't allowed in and they'd instantly back off. Cas, of course, let all the original detention-ers in first. Especially Sam, Jack, and their group. 

On this one sunny afternoon, Cas was in the VIP detention room when there was a knock at the door. He looked up to see Meg open the door to Gabe, who stood there in front of the pulsing crowd. Cas immediately stood up and strolled over to the door.

"Hi, I'm here to see Castiel Novak," he heard Gabe say nervously as he neared.

Meg turned to look at Cas as he approached. "Where's his write-up?" she asked, confused as to why someone would voluntarily come to detention without a pink write-up slip.

"He doesn't need a detention slip, he's with me," Cas said, grabbing Gabe's hand and pulling him into the room. Meg simply shrugged and closed the door on the crowd.

"She's scary," Gabe whispered to Cas as he led him over to Sam's group.

He didn't acknowledge Gabe's comment, instead, he called Sam across the circle to Sam. "Hey Sam! This is my friend, Gabe. Gabe, this is Sam, who I've been telling you about."

But Gabe didn't hear the end of Cas' sentence. Because the second he laid eyes on this so-called Sam, with the sunlight streaming in the windows behind him, lighting up his long golden hair, Gabriel fell. And he fell fast.

As Sam made his way towards him, the once cocky, confident Gabriel had turned to mush under the gaze of this golden boy. Suddenly, Gabriel wanted detention for the rest of his life.

~*~

Another week later, Chuck had come up to Cas during shooting the show and asked him if he wanted to do a live television interview. Cas nervously and reluctantly agreed, but Dean had reassured him afterwards that there was nothing to worry about, as Dean would be there beside him. Cas felt tons better after that.

On the day of the interview, Cas couldn't stop the nerves from bubbling up in his stomach every five minutes. During detention class, both Gabe and Sam noticed he was unusually silent and worried about him. That was something that took Cas' mind off the interview for a minute - the fact that Gabe and Sam had noticed him for once. Since they met, Gabe and Sam had been joined at the hip, and Cas was seriously getting sick of Gabe's 'love-heart' eyes, as Cas called them. They were a sort of glossy, glazed over adoration that Gabe got whenever he was looking at Sam. Which was, like, every second of every day, it seemed like. It made Cas miss Dean.

After school, Cas waited for Dean outside the school, so they could head over to the KAZ2Y5 studio together. He didn't have to wait long before he saw the familiar handsome face of his crush coming out of the front doors. He smiled when he saw Cas, his face lighting up in the way that Cas loved, and beelined for him.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Dean said once he reached the spot where Cas was waiting.

Cas nodded, fought the urge to reach out to hold Dean's hand, and turned on his heel in the direction of the studio. Dean fell into step beside him.

The journey to the studio was a fast 20 minutes, the reason why being that they both had good company. And as the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun . . .

The rest of the afternoon, consisting of hair and make-up, wardrobe, and practising with Chuck (since it was Castiel's first time, both he and Chuck wanted Cas to have some interviewing practise), flew by in a rush, and before he knew it, Cas was sitting across from an interviewer on the set of 'The French Mistake', Dean at his side. The cameras were on the interviewer, and Cas quickly shot Dean a nervous smile. Dean grinned back and reached over to squeeze Cas' hand, making Cas' nerves turn into butterflies at his touch.

The first-assistant director shouted his call-off, and the director yelled action!

"Good evening, and welcome back. I am joined here by the two lead actors of the hit show 'The French Mistake'," the interviewer, called Naomi, announced. She turned to Cas and Dean. "Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak. Boys, how are you?"

Cas took a nervous, shaky breath, but before he could open his mouth and answer, Dean did it for him.

"We're great, thanks! At home on our own set," he joked, gesturing around at their makeshift "house". Cas guessed you had to be ready with answers before the interviewer even asked the questions around here.

"So, Castiel, you're the newbie here. Tell us a little about yourself," Naomi said, relaxing back into her chair.

Cas decided this was it. His moment to be the funny actor everyone thought he was. "Well, I watch 'The French Mistake' . . . and I do absolutely nothing else!" he joked, a wide grin spreading on his face.

Both Naomi and Dean laughed. "Well, now you can add working on 'The French Mistake' to that list," Dean added.

"Ooh! I sure like the way you talk," Naomi said.

"I also hope to be the president someday, or an actor on broadway," Cas continued.

Naomi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "And if you were president, Castiel, what would your first official act be?" she asked, leaning forward, intrigued.

"Hmm." Castiel thought for a second. "I'd make gay marriage legal," he finished, nodding his head once in satisfaction of his answer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone waving their hands wildly. Dean's head turned in the direction of the person waving, before turning back and nudging Cas. Before he could turn to Dean, Naomi cleared her throat, snapping his attention back to her.

"I read you like tomorrow's headlines, Castiel." She turned back to the main camera. "What do you think, folks? You think we might have a new actor worthy of a big shiny award? Or perhaps he can bring 'The French Mistake' to victory this Saturday, June 2nd, right here on KAZ2Y5, for the annual TV show awards!"

"And cut!" the director yelled, and everyone relaxed.

But Cas was confused. Who was waving? And why did Dean nudge him? Why did they finish the interview so suddenly?

Before he had time to question things further, he was whisked off set and back to his dressing room. He was shoved in, and the door slammed shut behind him, leaving him alone. What did he do?

~*~

"I want that fake faggot boy off the show!" Chuck screamed. His face was red with rage as he paced up and down the floor of his office.

"Well let me be the first to toss the harpoon," Rowena sneered from her perch in Chuck's office chair behind the desk.

"He's a corrupting influence!" Chuck continued.

"I agree," Rowena added. "We don't want our actors _frolicking_ with _them_."

"Alright, enough!" Dean shouted. "That's no way to speak about a person."

"Are you defending him?" Rowena shrilled, sitting forward in her chair.

"Look, I got some new ideas for the show," Dean said, ignoring her. "First, we get rid of any romantic connection I have on the show . . ."

"Finally, some sense outta you," Rowena remarked.

"And we make mine and Cas' characters the main romantic couple on the show," Dean finished. Chuck and Rowena's jaws went slack.

"A gay couple?" Chuck said. Rowena just opened and closed her mouth in shock.

"That's right, I said it," Dean said firmly, setting his shoulders back in a dominant stance.

"This is not some symposium in Ancient Greece!" Rowena shrilled.

"Well, why couldn't it be?" Dean stepped forward, his posture reflecting his enthusiasm as he bent down to lean his hands on the desk in front of her. "Rowena, isn't this where it's all headin' anyway? Now, you can be the first and make history, or you can shut it down and be nothing."

Rowena's expression turned sour as she narrowed her eyes. "Maybe it is time for some fresh ideas . . . like - like a nice, fresh, brand new lead actor!" she retorted.

But Dean didn't back down. He scoffed, standing up straight from the desk. "Gee, Rowena, how do you fire Dean Winchester, the face of 'The French Mistake', from 'The French Mistake'?" And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

"They do it all the time on Lassie!" Rowena called after him, standing from her chair and slapping her hands onto the desk.

"Rowena," Chuck spoke up for the first time in a while, his voice hard. "You've let this go too far!"

"Me?" Rowena exclaimed, clutching a hand to her chest in shock.

"Fix it!" Chuck roared, moving towards the door.

"What-"

"Fix it!" And with that, Chuck stormed out of the room, slamming the door on a screaming Rowena.

~*~

After a stern talking to on what he can and cannot say on camera from Bobby, Cas was freed to go home. As he left the studio, he muttered to himself, "why couldn't you have told me that before I went on camera," glaring over his shoulder.

_Stupid rules telling me what I can and cannot say_, he thought as he walked home in the dark. The streets were quiet, which made him think it was later than it was. He hoped his parents wouldn't be angry with him for being home late.

He made it home, slightly sweaty from speed walking, and dumped his satchel in the entrance. He heard the television on in the living room, but other than that the house was dark and silent.

"Hello?" he called out as he removed his shoes.

"In here!" he heard his father call. He followed the sound of his voice into the living room. His fathers were cuddling on the couch and when he entered, Gadreel told him to turn the lights on as he switched the TV off. They beamed up at him as he did what he was told. Gadreel patted the empty space of the couch beside him for Cas to come sit with them.

"We're so proud of you, Cas!" Balthazar spoke up as Cas sat down.

"To think that I almost stopped you from your dream," Gadreel added. "And now there you were, on local nighttime TV, being interviewed by Naomi of all people!" Cas simply nodded, letting a small, pained smile across his lips for a millisecond. Of course, his fathers noticed this, growing concerned immediately.

"What's wrong?" Gadreel asked.

Cas sighed. "I got told off for saying that "gay marriage" thing by the studio's owner, and let off with a warning," he said gloomily.

Both parents exchanged a frown, but as they turned back to Cas, Balthazar's expression turned almost empathetic, whereas Gadreel was a fire of fury.

"How dare they-" He was stopped by his partner before he could go any further.

"Cas, honey, I think you should head up to bed," he interrupted, a hand on Gadreel's shoulder. Cas nodded, kissed his fathers goodnight and made his way up to small staircase. As soon as he entered his bedroom, his exhaustion hit him. He sleepily peeled his clothes off and got under the covers, falling asleep to the sound of his parents arguing downstairs.

~*~


	6. Dates and Discounts

The next day fell on a Saturday, and Cas was tasked with his ever-growing pile of homework that he had abandoned all week. Whenever Cas did his homework at the kitchen table, Gadreel would do his work there too, to keep each other company. Balthazar was out in the backyard, tending to his garden.

Cas was almost done with his math homework when the phone rang, interrupting his train of thought. He looked up as Gadreel answered gruffly, removing his reading glasses.

"Is this the Novak residence?" the caller asked.

"Yes," Gadreel said impatiently, he probably thought it was one of those scam callers.

"This is Mr. Fitzgerald speaking."

"Mr. Fitzgerald? As in Fitz Gentlemen's Wear?" Gadreel asked, a frown forming on his face as he glanced at Castiel, who had completely abandoned his homework to listen in.

"Uh huh. I'd like for Castiel to be our spokesman," Mr. Fitzgerald said.

"You want Cas to do what?" Gadreel asked, incredulous. At this, Cas pushed up from his spot at the dining table, making his way over to his father.

"Be our spokesman," Mr. Fitzgerald repeated.

"Be a spokesman?" Gadreel said, more for the benefit of Cas to hear. Cas nodded enthusiastically, showing his father that he wanted to do it.

Fitz Gentlemen's Wear was the most popular male clothes shop in Lawrence. All the sophisticated, chic males shopped there, including the cast of 'The French Mistake', which meant Dean. Growing up, Cas' family was too poor to shop there, so Cas had never owned a brand new item of clothing from Fitz's. He only owned second hand items from there which were years and years old.

"I think he'd be perfect," Mr. Fitzgerald continued. "I'd like to meet him and discuss the details, as soon as possible."

Gadreel nodded, slightly awe-struck, and he fumbled with his next set of words, "Okay, well, um, we'll have to send someone down to meet you. . ."

"Tonight, if you can," Mr. Fitzgerald suggested.

"Oh, um, okay, yes we can make it tonight. Okay, see you tonight, Mr. Fitzgerald," Gadreel said, slightly frazzled at the spontaneity of the organisation. Mr. Fitzgerald said goodbye and they both hung up the phone.

"The Mr. Fitzgerald?" Cas asked the second his father's attention was no longer on the phone.

"From Fitz Gentlemen's Wear!" Gadreel exclaimed, his excitement growing as well.

"A spokesman?! Oh, please let me get free merchandise, please!" Cas exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"Oh, Cas, I think perks like free merchandise have to be negotiated," Gadreel said, his 'serious business' voice back on. "Maybe we should get you an agent . . ." he mused.

"Okay, you be my agent," Cas said, pointing to Gadreel for emphasis.

"Me?" Gadreel exclaimed, looking at his son quizzically.

"Well why not?" Cas said. "Who's going to look out for me better than my own father?"

Gadreel considered the thought for a good minute, leaving the house in silence. "I suppose it isn't a bad idea," he deliberated, tapping the rim of his reading glasses against his lip. Castiel looked up at his father expectantly, his eyes shining in adoration. Gadreel took one look into those big blue eyes and caved.

"Oh, alright," he gave in, resulting in a cheer from Cas. He grabbed Gadreel into a tight hug repeating "thank you" over and over again. It was at that moment that Balthazar decided to walk in, a delighted shock overcoming him when he discovered the situation.

"I'm glad you two are getting along again," he joked, removing his gardening gloves and leaving them outside before entering the house. Cas pulled away from Gadreel at the sound of his Pa's voice, running over to him like a child.

"Papa! Dad's gonna be my agent and I'm gonna be a spokesman for Fitz Gentleman's Wear!" Cas announced, informing Balthazar on the events that he missed.

Balthazar raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise as he looked up to meet his partner's eyes. "Are we now? Well, that is exciting news for both of you. And an excellent bonding experience." Balthazar moved further into the house to kiss Gadreel on the lips, and wrap Cas into a family hug. "I'm proud of both my boys," he said, a warm smile colouring his lips.

Gadreel and Castiel grinned, then moved to finish their tasks before their evening's excursions.

~*~

Across town, Gabriel was sitting alone on a park bench, in the "filthy" part of town, as his father called it. Gabriel knew that Michael would never venture into this part of town willingly, so it made it a perfect place to wait out Bible Study, where Michael thought he was.

He sucked on his red lollipop, his eyes wandering around the park. It was actually a very nice park and not at all filthy. Michael only called it that because it was where all the druggies lived in town. But to be fair, the druggies lived in a very nice neighbourhood, and Gabriel actually could picture himself living in one of those houses once he graduated. Of course it was out of spite of his father.

As he sat there, swinging his legs and humming contently, he didn't notice the man walking up to him, until he was standing above Gabriel and blocking his sunlight. Gabe made a move to protest, but immediately shut up once he saw who it was.

"Oh, Sam! Hi!" Gabe blushed, a common thing that happened to him under the gaze of the tall boy. Also, why does he always seem to bump into Sam when there's a light shining from behind him and making him look like Jesus? A horrible thought crossed Gabe's mind: since Sam looked like Jesus, would Michael accept their relationship? If they ever were in a relationship.

"Hey, Gabe. What ya doin'?" Sam asked, moving to perch next to Gabe on the bench. Gabe shifted slightly to make room for the taller boy.

"I'm just waiting until Bible Study is over," Gabe said, twirling the lollipop around his mouth with his tongue.

Sam frowned. "Who's doing Bible Study?" he asked.

"I am."

That simply confused Sam more, as he spluttered trying to make sense of Gabe's reasoning. Gabriel glanced at the confused boy and laughed.

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase. My father makes me go to Bible Study, but I hate it, so I ditch and hang out here until it's over," Gabe explained. "My father's highly religious," he added.

Realisation crossed over Sam's face and he laughed. "Does that mean you're banned from dating guys?" A suggestive smirk flickered at the corner of his lips.

"My father doesn't know I'm gay. And the thought would never even cross his mind," Gabe said matter-of-factly. "You see, when you live with a highly religious father like mine, who has rules and regulations on what you can and can't do, you learn a trick or two in order to dodge those rules and have fun."

Sam nodded in understanding. "Care to elaborate?"

A warm feeling grew in the pit of Gabe's stomach; knowing that Sam wanted to know more about him and his life made him feel all warm and fuzzy.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, before Cas was on 'The French Mistake', I used to go over to his house after school to watch it together. That's where I would spend my time when I was meant to be in Bible Study. Well this one day, my dad shows up at Cas' house, god knows why, and finds me there, and banned me from watching the show ever again. After that, Cas and I used to watch the show on the TVs in the window of the TV shop, but ever since Cas got a part on the show and is busy filming after school, I go watch it alone. And then come here," Gabe concluded his story with a small defeated gesture around the park.

"Wow, your dad is really that strict that he banned you from watching a TV show?" Sam asked, incredulously.

Gabe scoffed. "Nah, my dad's worse. If he found out I'm gay, I'd be banned from leaving the house for life," he said sadly.

Sam reached over to place a hand on Gabe's knee, sending sparks up Gabe's thigh from his touch. "You know, you can come hang with me when you're meant to be in Bible Study," he said softly.

Gabe looked up at him, eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yeah, my old man kicked me out when I came out to him, so I'm staying with my aunt and uncle. They're real chill and even though they came from the same family as my dad, they're completely opposite from him. My aunt Jody even runs a gay bar in town," Sam said, excitedly. "Even though bars are for people over 21, Jody says I'm allowed to bring friends over whenever. It's pretty chill."

Gabriel's smile widened and he nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to! I can't tonight, Bible Study's nearly over, but maybe next week?" Sam grinned.

"It's a date."

~*~

After agreeing to meet Balthazar afterwards for a celebratory dinner, Gadreel and Cas left their house and headed off in the direction of the Main Street, where Fitz Gentlemen's Wear was located. They made it there in no time, looking at the elegant store-front window displays in awe before entering the luxurious shop.

The second they entered, they were approached by a tall, skinny man with a warm, kind smile. He was unusually under-dressed for the shop, in a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"You must be Castiel," he said, reaching his hand out for Cas to shake. "I'm Mr. Fitzgerald, but please, call me Garth."

Castiel shook the man's hand excitedly, not requiring him to introduce himself since Garth already knew who he was.

Garth's attention then turned to Gadreel, as he held out his hand again for the older man, "Why, Castiel, is this your older brother?" he asked.

Gadreel took Garth's hand, but rolled his eyes playfully. "Flattery won't distract Mr. Novak's agent from the important matters at hand," Gadreel stated sternly. To anyone who wasn't Cas or Balthazar, Gadreel would sound serious and unwavering, but Cas knew that there was a hint of humour in his father's voice.

Garth looked slightly taken aback as he quickly backtracked, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mister . . ."

"Novak. I'm Castiel's father," Gadreel said, his warm tone coming back and a smile forming on his face to show Garth that he was only kidding. The relief that flooded Garth's face was evident and he was back to his salesman self, leading the father and son duo out the back, to his office.

The meeting wasn't long, as both parties quickly agreed on what they wanted out of the spokesman deal, and barely twenty minutes later, Cas and Gadreel walked out of Garth's shop with a large bag of discounted products each.

They decided to go straight to the restaurant and order starters so they would be ready for when Balthazar arrived. And, as they predicted, Balthazar showed up as the starters were being placed on their table.

"I see you did some shopping," he commented as he sat down, giving his partner's hand a discreet squeeze under the table, and his son a quick, fond nick across the cheek with his knuckle.

"We did! We got discounts!" Cas exclaimed, excited to show his Pa his purchases when they got home. "I'm also representing the hair products that they are going to release. Garth said it's because I have perfect hair," Cas continued as the family dug into their starters of garlic bread and mozzarella sticks.

"So the contract went down well?" Balthazar asked, making conversation. Cas nodded, but let Gadreel take the reigns in telling Balthazar about the details. Just as Gadreel was about to open his mouth to explain, he was interrupted by a shrill, Scottish voice.

"Well, Mr. Novak, what a surprise to see you here."

Cas turned in his seat to see Rowena and Crowley standing above them, staring down their noses at the family.

"Hello, Rowena. Crowley," Cas said, as coldly as he could get away with his parents sitting there. Crowley simply glared at him in response.

"Dad, Pa, this is Crowley and Rowena. Rowena is the station's manager," Cas introduced. Upon hearing who was standing in front of them, Gadreel's face darkened. He abruptly stood up, knocking his knees on the table, his chair scraping against the floor. But before he could open his mouth to shout obscenities at the evil mother and son in front of him, Balthazar placed a calm hand upon his arm.

"Shh, Gadreel. Now's not the place," he stage-whispered. Gadreel glared, but sat down, still fuming. Balthazar threw on a polite smile and turned towards their company.

"Rowena, is it? It was so nice of you to let Cas here on that show," he said.

Rowena laughed. "Well,  _ Cas _ ," she said his name like it was a bad taste in her mouth, "certainly has . . . redefined our standard."

Behind her Crowley sniggered. "That's for sure." Cas shot him a snare.

"Let me guess," Rowena continued, "family dinner?"

The family reluctantly nodded, trying to be polite in the presence of evil, as Cas would put it.

"Well, I can see where Cas gets it from," she snided, glancing at Balthazar's hand still on Gadreel's arm. Gadreel tensed, and Castiel shot Rowena the hardest glare he could manage.

"It was nice meeting you." Rowena pursed her lips as if it pained her to say that. "Castiel."

"Bye, Cas," Crowley chimed, sniggering again and following his mother out of the restaurant.

Castiel didn't bother saying goodbye, turning back to his meal. But he was no longer hungry. A grunt from his left made him look up to see his father absolutely seething with rage.

"Castiel. Get the bags. We're leaving," he said through gritted teeth.

"Gadreel-"

The conversation didn't continue, as Gadreel stood, throwing his chair back to slam on the ground, grabbing the attention of everyone in the restaurant. He left without another word. Balthazar and Cas exchanged glances before hastily grabbing their belongings, Balthazar throwing a few twenty dollar bills onto the table, and following after the angered man.

~*~

The house shook as Gadreel slammed the front door closed. Finally in the privacy of their own home, he let his rant begin.

"HOW DARE SHE SAY THINGS LIKE THAT. SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO SAY SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS ABOUT ME AND MY FAMILY. SHE IS A BITTER, HORRIBLE, EVIL WOMAN WHO DESERVES TO ROT IN HELL-"

"Gadreel-"

"NO, BALTHAZAR, I AM ANGRY. AND I AM GOING TO YELL. SHE CAN'T JUST - JUST - DISCRIMINATE AGAINST SOMEONE BECAUSE OF THEIR FAMILY. SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO FIRE HIM BECAUSE OF HIS SEXUALITY AND-"

"DAD!"

Castiel's voice stopped his father in his tracks, his chest heaving from all the yelling.

"Dad, I'm sorry to break this to you, but she can. She basically runs the show. And she doesn't want the reputation of the show going down the drain. She has every right to kick me off the second she finds something incriminating. And she will. I'm sorry, Dad, but it's true. It's the way in which we live now . . ." Cas trailed off.

Balthazar and Gadreel exchanged a look, then both came to each put an arm around Cas.

"I was afraid of this happening," Gadreel began. "That's why I didn't want you doing the show."

"Dad, it's better that I did it, than stayed in the shadows. At least the town knows now," Cas said gloomily, his gaze falling to his feet. His parents squeezed his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Cas," Balthazar spoke up.

Cas looked up, glancing between his fathers. "What are you sorry for? She hasn't fired me yet. I'm still on the show. And as long as I'm there, it shows her how her words can't hurt me. I know who I am, and I know who you are. My family. And I love you. The opinion of one homophobic woman and her son can't change that."

Proud smiles erupted on Gadreel and Balthazar's faces as they looked down at the incredible son they raised.

"We love you too," Gadreel said, pressing a kiss to Cas' temple. Balthazar did the same and Cas reached up to squeeze his fathers' arms .

"I'm gonna head off to bed. Goodnight, love you."

And with that, Cas made his way up to bed, falling asleep to completely opposite noises coming from his parents than the previous night's.

~*~


	7. Kiss My Ass

The following Monday, Cas sat in English class, half falling asleep. They were supposed to be silently reading, but with the early start on the set of 'The French Mistake' this morning, Cas could barely keep his eyes open.

A few rows behind him, Crowley sat with several of the other popular kids in the school, including his two side-kicks. They were whispering, giggling, most likely gossiping. Dean sat near them, but he wasn't participating in the conversation they were having.

Suddenly, Cas heard Crowley say in a normal tone, "They can't put Cas in special ed. I won't have it. I mean, even if I have to tutor him myself . . ." His crowd aww'ed and gushed at his faux selflessness. "They cannot hold my friend back."

Cas knew he was lying. He was putting a front on for the school kids who weren't cast members. The tone of his voice was sickly sweet, and it made Cas’ skin crawl. He rolled his eyes, trying to block out their conversation.

"You're a saint!" One of the girls gushed, and Cas couldn't help but imagine her with her head in her hands and looking up at Crowley with big, glossy eyes.

"Oh, and it's totally not true about him and the entire football team,” Crowley continued. “I mean, please. Anybody can get grass stains all over their back.” Crowley laughed, and was joined soon after by his followers. 

That's when Cas heard the scraping of a chair along the laminate floor. "Crowley, stop it! I'm sick of you doing that!" Dean's voice rang across the classroom, genuine frustration apparent in his voice. Cas raised his head and turned to watch the situation.

"Just because he's a better actor than you," Dean was saying, standing over Crowley, looking absolutely furious and attractive in Cas’ eyes. 

"Uh, excuse me? You think he can act? Please, I've seen better acting from an orange," Crowley jeered, turning his back on Dean and folding his arms in a dismissive manner.

"Excuse me?" a voice sounded from the front of the room. "What is going on back there?"

The class fell silent as the teacher became aware of the situation. Crowley scoffed, breaking the silence.

"Castiel, that's horrible! Mr. Ferguson does not have breasts!" he exclaimed, in a mock offended voice. He held up a scrap piece of paper that had a drawing of the teacher sketched upon it. The offender being that he was drawn with two large breasts. Cas stuttered, attempting to defend himself. But it was too late: Mr. Ferguson was already writing a detention slip. Cas gave up, defeated, and stood, gathering his books and shuffling to the front of the room. At least he’d get to see Sam. 

As he collected his detention slip, he heard Mr, Ferguson's voice break the silence of the room.

"Mr. Winchester, perhaps you'd like to share Hamlet's immortal last words?"

Cas turned to see Dean standing there, his eyes fixed on him, a determined glare to them. His eyes flicked to the teacher, a mischievous glint shining in them.

"Kiss my ass."

Cas broke out into a smile as Mr. Ferguson tore another pink detention slip. Dean simply winked at him, grabbing his own books and jogging to join Cas at the door after grabbing his own slip. The pair left the room, shoulder to shoulder, much to Crowley’s vexation. 

"You didn't have to do that, Dean," Cas said as they made their way to detention together. The craze for getting a detention had faded once Cas had started up classes again: there was no line when Dean and Cas arrived at the detention classroom. 

"Hey, no prob," Dean said as they entered the room, dropping their slips into the box on the "teacher's" desk. "Besides, it looks like a pretty cool place down here."

Cas grinned as he led Dean over to the usual group. Both Sam and Jack noticed the pair beelining for them, waving enthusiastically. Cas hurried over, but was too distracted with saying hello to Kevin and Jo, two other local detention-goers, to notice Dean and Sam's stiff and confused greeting. As he fell into conversation with his new friends, he also didn't notice Sam and Dean exchange a look, get up from the group and move to the far corner of the classroom together, away from any eavesdropping ears or prying eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Dean whisper-shouted once the pair were in private.

"I could ask you the same thing," Sam retorted, folding his arms across his chest and glaring down at his brother.

"How do you know Cas?" Dean asked, his confusion and shock growing.

"From here," Sam shrugged. "Ever since he got that detention that you walked in on. The one you invited him to the open mic night, which started this whole thing."

Dean's eyes widened. "You were there?"

Sam scoffed. "Gee, Dean, I feel so respected knowing that the fame hasn't got to your head and you haven't forgotten about your little brother," he said, sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sorry that I was distracted by the most attractive person I have ever seen in my life," Dean murmured, his eyes flicking over to Cas across the room.

Sam's mouth dropped open, his eyes bulged. "You what?"

Dean's gaze snapped back to Sam, his eyes full of fury. "You will not say a thing to Dad, got it? He'll ban me from the show."

Sam scoffed again, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well that's the least of your worries," he said darkly. 

Dean stopped, his face falling in sympathy. "You know I didn't mean it like that . . ." he trailed off. 

Sam just nodded and cleared his throat. "Hey, well, now that I know you're gay, you wanna come to my favourite hang out place? You can bring Cas if you want." He winked at his brother, who playfully scowled and whacked him on the arm.

"What does being gay have to do with it?" Dean asked. Sam simply winked mysteriously and strode back over to his friends, slipping into the conversation as if he was there the whole time. As Dean followed suit, sitting just behind Cas to give the illusion that he was there all along too, Sam cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of his friends.

"Hey, guys. The bar is having a platter party tonight 'specially for teens like us. Y'all wanna come check it out?" he announced, gesturing around the group to see if they were interested.

It was only then that Cas noticed that Gabe was there as well, sitting close to Sam. Cas waved to him, and gestured at Sam, raising his eyebrows as if to say "you wanna go?". Gabe nodded and tugged on Sam's sleeve, grabbing his attention.

"Cas and I'll come," he said.

"Me too!" Dean piped up from behind Cas, making him turn and shoot Dean a small smile. Beside him Jack clapped his hands together.

"I've never been to a gay bar before!" he exclaimed excitedly. The two newbies stalled.  _ A gay bar _ ?! But before they could question anything, Sam had them up on their feet and moving out of the room. 

"Now?!" Cas asked, but his voice was drowned out by the crowd in the hallway, their chatter filling the hall. Dean and Cas exchanged glances, and Dean snaked an arm around Cas' waist, his skin burning under Dean's touch. All of a sudden, he forgot what was happening and lost all brain function, as all he could think about was Dean's arm on his waist. Somehow he managed to stay on his feet as he and Dean followed Sam and the rest of the group as they marched out of the school. As they went, no one heard the irritated British voice yelling out the school window at Dean.

As they neared the corner of the block the school was on, Sam stopped, greeting a red-haired girl who was walking perpendicular to them. After wrapping her in a hug, Sam turned to the group.

"Guys! This is my cousin, Charlie," he introduced. Warm 'hello's rang out from various members of the group, as Charlie giddily greeted everyone. Then her eyes locked on Cas.

"Oh, I know you! You're Castiel, the new guy on 'The French Mistake'. Good on you for getting on the show!" she said enthusiastically. Cas mumbled his thanks, and Charlie fell into step with him and Dean, who still had his arm protectively around Cas' waist, as they continued on their journey.

~*~

Crowley stormed into Rowena's office after school that day, startling his mother from her work.

"Mother, I have witnessed something horrible. Something terrible. Something threatening to this show's reputation," he roared, his expression one of utmost fury.

Rowena's face fell, concerned. "What is it?"

"Dean. And Cas. With a bunch of gays, and Dean had his arm around Cas' waist. In public."

Rowena frowned, her eyes darkening. "What were they doing?"

"They were heading to a gay bar. I heard from one of my minions who's undercover in the detention room. Apparently, the moose-looking one owns it or something like that," Crowley explained, still seething, but beginning to calm down from his rage. 

A devilish glint sparked in Rowena's eye. "That's perfect, my son. That's all I need. Don't worry, I'll take care of things from here on."

"Mother, what are you going to do?" Crowley asked, suddenly wary of the things his mother was capable of.

"I said, don't worry. I will get rid of our little problem once and for all."

~*~


	8. Enter: Jody

The group arrived at a small club off one of the side streets from Main Street. Sam didn't hesitate, simply waltzing in and gesturing for everyone else to follow. Once inside, several of the others dispersed, leaving Cas, Dean, Gabriel and Sam hovering near the doorway. On the right hand side of the room, the bar extended the whole length of the wall. People were hovering around it, chatting and receiving drinks from the one bartender who was frantically shaking a cocktail mixer in one hand while squirting brown liquid into a glass with the other. On the opposite side of the room, several trestle tables were set out, piled as full as they could be with plates of various salads and finger foods. Along the back wall were three doors, the mens and womens bathrooms were the two doors on the left side, and the other door is what looked like the office that came off the bar. Music was playing through invisible speakers and in the middle of the room, couples, groups and single dancers were grooving to the music.

Cas and Gabe grinned at each other at the coolness of this place asSam lead them further into the club. Suddenly, a woman with short, dark hair appeared in front of them, a wide grin on her face.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," she said, loud enough to be heard over the music and wrapping an arm around Sam's waist in greeting. "Now, who have we got here?"

"Jody, I'd like you to meet my new friends. This here is Dean," Sam replied, gesturing to each individual as he said their names, "Castiel Novak. And this young man right here," Sam removed himself from Jody's grip and stepped over to Gabe, wrapping a firm arm around his waist, "is Gabriel Cutler."

"I'm very pleased and scared to be here," Gabe said honestly.

Jody laughed, her smile pulling a grin on each of their faces. "Oh, honey, don't be scared here. You're safe under the watchful eye of Sammy here." She winked at the taller boy, causing him to blush slightly. "Well boys, have a dance, eat some food, and just enjoy yourselves. But don't do anything illegal!" And with that, Jody was gone, slipping behind the bar to help the poor bartender serve some more drinks.

When she was no longer in ear shot, Dean turned to Cas, holding his hand out to the boy. "Care to dance?" he asked, a cheeky smirk upon his lips. Cas grinned and nodded, placing his hand in Dean's and letting him lead him to an empty space on the dance floor. A thought crossed Cas' mind as Dean gently placed his hands on Cas' hips: this is where Dean can really be himself. The real Dean that didn't have to hide his sexuality or feelings from anyone. Where he didn't have to act, or pretend to be a serious actor; a place where the real, genuine, dorky Dean could come out. The Dean that Cas had seen small snippets of over the past few weeks. The Dean that Cas desperately wanted to know. His grin widened as he let Dean twirl him around the dance floor, excited to get to know the real Dean.

~*~

Meanwhile, across town at the Novak residence, the phone rang, interrupting Balthazar from his book. He closed the book after marking his page, and got up to answer the blaring phone.

"Hello?"

"My name is Mike," came a gruff voice through the phone. It sounded American, but it had a strange tone of a British accent underneath.

"Mike?" Balthazar asked, confused as to why this Mike person was calling. He didn't know a Mike.

"Yes, Mike," came the reply, slightly irritated.

"Mike who?" Balthazar challenged.

"It's Mike!" The voice exclaimed, properly British now. Balthazar pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it incredulously.

The person cleared their throat loudly over the phone before continuing. "Anyway, I'm calling because I have some information about your son's whereabouts." The American accent was back.

"What?" Balthazar said, properly confused now.

"Right now, as we speak, your son has entered a hotbed of moral . . . Turpentine," the voice said.

"What do you mean?" Balthazar asked. "My son is at the studio. May I ask who's calling?"

"Look, it doesn't matter who's calling. All I'm saying is that I saw your son entering a gay bar off Main Street. I'm calling to tell you," the voice turned entirely British this time, his words angry and impatient.

Balthazar didn't know how to react. Cas? A gay bar? Alone? Why? He simply thanked the voice, and hung up. He quickly prepared himself to leave the house, scribbling a quick note to Gadreel in case he came home and they weren't there. He shuffled his feet into his shoes and left the house, locking the door behind him. He had to see for himself.

~*~

Back at the bar, Dean and Cas were still dancing, chatting as they did so. Cas found himself falling more for this Dean, the real Dean, and he didn't want the moment to end.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, as Dean noticed something over Cas' shoulder, and his face hardened.

"I'll be back. Do you want a drink or anything?" Dean said quickly. But before Cas could reply, he was off, pushing his way in the direction of the bar. Cas watched him go, confused, but shrugged. He turned and spotted Gabe and Sam sitting on a bench on the side of the dance floor, chatting. He decided, rather than stay on the dance floor full of couples alone, he'd go and chat with them. He made his way over, and plopped down beside Gabe, who immediately joined him in on the conversation.

Across the bar, Dean reached Jody, who was the one to gesture to him. She lead him into the back room, closing the door on the music behind them.

"Hey, Dean. Just wanted to have a little catch up," she said once they were alone. Dean's face broke out into a smile, relieved that she wasn't mad at him, and pulled her into a warm hug.

"Hey Jody, it's good to see you! Thanks for not blowing my cover back there," Dean said, as they pulled away.

"That's alright. Sam filled me in on everything. You're doin' pretty well for yourself, huh?" Jody moved over to the couch, gesturing for Dean to follow.

"Yeah, well it kinda just happened. I still haven't really gotten used to it," Dean said as he sat next to her. "Look, sorry I haven't been around lately to see you and Uncle Bobby and Charlie. I have a reputation now and-"

"Dean, don't worry about it. I understand that being associated with the gay community is frowned upon in your new choice of career," Jody said assuringly, not missing a beat.

While Dean felt relieved that Jody wasn't mad at him, he frowned at how wrong her statement sounded. Jody noticed his hesitation and placed a gentle hand on his knee.

"It's okay, Dean," she said, as if reading his mind. "That's just how things are around here."

"It shouldn't be," Dean replied, his face contorting into anger. "It's not fair that you guys have to hide who you are and-"

"Dean," Jody cut off sternly, "we are fine with who we are, and we don't mind hiding it. Are you, perhaps, talking about someone else . . . ?" she trailed off, looking pointedly at the teenager.

Dean backtracked quickly. "No, no, no, no," he stammered. "No, I was just . . . no."

Jody laughed softly, squeezing Dean's knee. "I'll let you get back to Castiel." She stood, Dean following her actions, and pulled him into a hug again. Dean smiled into the hug, before pulling away.

"Tell Bobby I said hi," Dean said, before turning on his heel and slipping out of the office. Luckily. no one saw him leave the office, and he walked along the back wall to give the illusion that he came from the bathroom. He spotted Cas instantly and beelined towards him. Cas' face instantly lit up at the sight of Dean coming towards him, and he muttered something to Gabriel, who waved his hand half-heartedly in response, his attention focused on the story Sam was telling him. Cas leapt up and made his way towards Dean, meeting him in the middle of the dance floor.

"You okay?" Cas asked, beginning to sway to the music.

Dean smiled softly at the boy's concern, reaching forward to rest a hand on Cas' hip, pulling him closer. "Yeah, I'm good," he replied, falling into rhythm with Cas.

The pair danced for a silent minute, enjoying each other's company, before Cas spoke up. "Dean?" he asked, "Aren't you gonna get in trouble for this?"

Dean opened his eyes, looking down at the slightly smaller boy. "Well, I don't plan on telling my dad," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

Cas rolled his eyes. "No, I mean in trouble with someone else," he said, pointedly.

Dean's smirk faltered, eyes darkening a little. "Hmm, maybe . . ." he trailed off. "Maybe it's worth it," he added, his smirk coming back full throttle and making Cas slightly weak at the knees. "I think knowing you is the start of a pretty big adventure."

Cas couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. He didn't know what to say, coherent words couldn't form in his brain, let alone come out of his mouth. All he did know was that he wanted to kiss Dean. Right then and there, he wanted to crush his lips to Dean's and make out with him, no matter who was watching. This was a gay club, after all, no one would probably care.

Cas' eyes flicked to Dean's lips, giving Dean the hint of what he wanted. Dean, being the observant boy he was, noticed this, his smirk widening, if possible.

"Why Castiel, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you wanted to kiss me," he murmured, his voice lowering and making something in Cas' stomach flutter.

All of a sudden, Cas was brave. His eyes flicked back up to Dean's, locking his blue ones on Dean's green iris'. "Why don't you come down here and find out?" His voice came out deeper than he expected and to him, he sounded sick. To Dean, however, it seemed as though he thought the opposite. Dean's eyes darkened hungrily, his gaze snapping down to Cas' lips and back up to his eyes. Before Cas knew it, Dean's hands left his waist and grabbed his face, bringing his lips down to meet Cas'. The world around the pair disappeared instantly, only the feeling of each other grounding them to the earth. Cas closed his eyes and grabbed onto the front of Dean's shirt, fisting the soft material and pulling him until he was flush against Cas' body.

The feeling was sensational to Cas, and he felt like he was walking on air. But that was short lived as he was pulled back down to earth from the shouts of, "Castiel!" coming from behind him.

Before he had any time to register what was happening, Cas was forcefully ripped away from Dean, his eyes snapping open, lips and body already cold from the lack of touch. Cas frowned, turning to the person who pulled him away. It was Balthazar.

"Pa?!" Cas asked, incredulously, his father's hand still gripping the back of his shirt.

"Castiel, what are you doing?" Balthazar asked. But he wasn't angry, no. No, Balthazar was . . . disappointed?

"I, uh, I - Pa, this is, uh, this is Dean Winchester," Cas fumbled out, his brain still trying to catch up on the situation. Balthazar's gaze flicked to Dean for a hot second before back to Cas, his expression unchanging and unreadable. When Cas finally turned to look at Dean, who also looked as though he was having trouble catching up, it was only then that Cas realised the whole bar had gone silent and was staring at their exchange.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Mr. Novak," Dean said, extending his hand for Balthazar to shake. Balthazar simply stared at his hand as if it had seven fingers. Cas frowned, it was not like his Pa to react like this. Balthazar would usually be so supportive of everything Cas did, unless it was illegal.

"Pa?" Cas questioned.

It seemed as though that snapped Balthazar out of the trance he was in, as he turned to his son and frowned slightly. "Come on, Castiel, we're going," he said, turning around with Cas still attached to his hand and stalking towards the door. Sam and Gabriel were still sitting on the bench on the way to the door, gawking with open mouths. As Balthazar passed, he added, "And go home, Gabriel, before your father shoots you."

That snapped Gabe's mouth shut and he shot Sam a sheepish look, standing and following the marching Balthazar and Cas towards the door. But before they could make it, they were interrupted by a booming voice across the bar.

"Mr. Novak, is it?"

Balthazar stopped in his tracks, Cas and Gabe almost crashing into the back of him. He turned on his heel to see an older man standing next to Dean, the crowd split like the Red Sea between them.

"Hi, I mean, you don't have to rush off, you know," the man said, his expression warm and inviting.

Balthazar sighed, exasperated. "Well, I do. I left the oven on," he said, making up an excuse.

The man raised his eyebrows. "Oh, your oven . . . ," he trailed off. "Well, before you go, wouldn't you like to have a drink? Chill out a little? It's on the house, I swear."

Balthazar sighed again, and made the mistake of glancing down at the two teenage boys at his side, who were both looking up at him with the biggest puppy dog eyes you could ever imagine. While Gadreel was the strict father and could easily say no to those big, shining eyes, Balthazar always had a soft spot, and instantly caved at the sight of them. Plus, a free beer? Who would turn that down?

"You got Natty Boh?" he asked, a smile forming on his face. The two boys 'whoop'ed and ran off to their respective partners. Balthazar trudged over to the bar, Bobby leading and making his way behind the bar to fix Balthazar a drink. Balthazar sighed as he sat down, glancing over at his son who was in a tight embrace with Dean. They're both sure gonna be in trouble with Gadreel when they get home.

~*~


	9. Uh Oh, Gadreel Fucked Up

The same evening, Gadreel stood restocking shelves alone in the drugstore that he worked in. He had been working all day, and the person who was meant to come and relieve him for the nightshift had called in sick an hour before he was due to work. Since there were only three of them that were employed at the drugstore, and the other employee wasn't picking up his phone, Gadreel had to cover the night shift. And he was pissed.

He was also worrying about his partner and son. When he had called to let them know he would be home late, there was no answer. This was unusual for his family, as he knew Balthazar had the day off, and Cas would have finished filming by now. Since none of them picked up the phone, he was worrying about their wellbeing. 

It hadn't been a good day for Gadreel. 

A customer hadn't been in the store for hours, and Gadreel was seriously considering closing up shop early and heading home. That was until the front door opened and the bell above the door jingled. Gadreel inwardly groaned and ducked down, hoping the customer wouldn't see him and think there was no one around. But then they might steal something . . . Bah, let 'em. 

Crouching behind the shelves next to the laxatives, Gadreel scolded himself. Had he really stooped this low? Hiding from a customer and wishing they would steal something just so they would leave him alone?

The store was quiet again, no sound of footsteps or another person in the store at all. Gadreel wondered if the customer had left amidst his thinking, or if he'd imagined the door bell ringing. 

That was until, "Hello?"

Gadreel swore inwardly. It was a woman's voice, and she sounded bitchy. Footsteps started up, the high tip-tapping of heels on the vinyl floors, over near the front counter. Gadreel hoped and hoped, his fingers and toes crossed, that she would go away. 

"Hello?" The voice was increasing in annoyance, the heeled footsteps beginning to come in his direction.

_Shit, shit, shit_. He needed an excuse now. A reason why he couldn't hear her.

"Hello?!"

Gadreel's eyes searched the shelves around him. Laxatives, cough, cold and flu medicines, ear plugs, nose sprays . . . ear plugs! Gadreel scrambled over to the stand where the packets of rubber ear plugs were hanging, grabbing a packet and tearing it open as quietly as he could. 

"_Hello?!_" The footsteps were nearing the aisle he was in as he half-heartedly shoved the small orange ear plugs into each ear, kicking the packet beneath the stands and grabbing the boxes of aspirin that he was restocking. Just in time for the lady to round the corner.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you! This is extremely poor customer service and-"

Gadreel ignored her until she was too close to pretend to mishear her. He faked jump-scaring, clutching his hand to his chest and dropping the few boxes that were in his hand.

"Oh jeez! You scared me!" he said, making his breathing uneven. _Wow_, he thought to himself, _I can see where Cas got his acting skills now_. 

The red-haired woman startled, frowning at him in confusion. Gadreel reached up and removed the ear-buds.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't usually expect people in the store this late, so I was just getting a little quiet time to myself," Gadreel explained, dropping the ear buds into his lab-coat pocket. That was when he got a proper look at the woman in front of him. Red hair, slight Scottish accent, snooty expression on her face . . . Rowena.

Instantly, Gadreel's face darkened. This is exactly why he wanted to close up early. He really didn't have the energy to deal with her right now. "What do _you_ want?" he said through gritted teeth, his hands bawling up into fists at his sides. 

Rowena's eyes glinted with a mischievous evil. A small smirk played at the corners of her mouth as she took a step back in faux-shock. "Is that any way to speak to a customer, Mr. Novak?"

Gadreel growled. "You are no customer of mine."

Rowena raised her eyebrows. "I don't see anyone else here to serve me," she said, gesturing around at the very empty store.

Gadreel's scowl deepened. "I repeat, _what_ do you _want_?"

"Why, Mr. Novak, I'll reply when you ask me nicely," Rowena said, her eyes sparkling with evil. Pure evil.

Gadreel's eyes narrowed. "Are you here to get something, or did you just come here to annoy me?" he asked, pushing around her and heading towards the counter. 

"Well," Rowena began, turning on her heel and following Gadreel. "I came to talk to you about Cas . . ." she trailed off as Gadreel stopped in his tracks.

"Cas?" he asked, his voice now changed to concern, despite his effort to hide it. 

"It's about his position on the show . . ."

~*~

It was nearing 10pm when Balthazar and Cas finally managed to slip away from the gay bar; it's name was The Empty, which Cas thought was ironic since the bar was anything but empty. They had said goodbye to their new and old friends (Cas got several more kisses from Dean over the night, including a deep, long one goodnight), and were walking along main street towards their home. They were chatting about their evening when something caught Cas' eye.

"Was Dad working late tonight?" he asked abruptly, cutting Balthazar off mid-sentence. 

Balthazar frowned and turned his head, following Cas' line of gaze to the drugstore across the street. The lights were still on inside, but they couldn't see any movement. 

Balthazar shrugged, turning back to Cas. "He wasn't, as he did the morning shift, but he could've stayed later. Unless it's someone else working late. Should we go see? Then he can walk home with us if he is there," he suggested. 

Castiel's face brightened and he nodded enthusiastically. Balthazar grinned and grabbed his son's hand. After looking both ways, the pair crossed the street to the other side. As they walked past the windows towards the front door, they each looked inside to see if they could spot any sign of their family member. They had no such luck, but made it to the door, respectively entering. The bell jangled above their heads as they stepped into the bright store. 

"Hey, Dad? You here?" Cas called out as he moved further into the shop. Suddenly, Gadreel's face popped up from behind the counter, looking slightly dishevelled. His body soon followed, his lab coat hanging off one shoulder, his shirt pulled as if something, or someone, had pulled it from the back. But Gadreel's appearance was not what stopped Balthazar in his tracks, however. It was the head that popped up soon afterwards that made his blood run cold.

Words couldn't form in his brain, leaving his mouth to open and close like a dumbfounded goldfish as he tried to comprehend the situation he was seeing with his eyes.

Luckily, the youngest one in the room had full control of his brain, speaking up out of confusion. "Dad?" he questioned. "Rowena? What are you doing?"

Rowena's mouth turned into an upward grin, almost victorious. "Well, Castiel, you see, your father and I-"

She was cut off by Gadreel, who turned and fixed a hard stare at her, warning her not to say a word. 

But that didn't seem apparent to Balthazar, who took the look as a secretive one, and his face hardened. He wouldn't take this. He would not have his partner cheat on him. He wouldn't take being walked over while he was at home looking after their kid - much to his ignorance, that was what Gadreel knew, he didn't know that they were out anyway. 

Balthazar let a low growl escape his lips as he reached over to take Cas' hand. "Come on, son. It seems as though your _father_ is busy." He spat the word as if it were an insult. "Let's go home."

Before Cas could protest, Balthazar was pulling him out the door and down the street. Cas could barely keep up with his aggravated father and they made it to their home in no time. When Balthazar unlocked the door, the pair stepped into the cold, dark home. _Fitting_, Balthazar thought as he couldn't shake the picture of Gadreel and Rowena together out of his head. 

Once inside, Cas slipped his shoes off and moved into the doorway between the living room and the hallway. He'd never seen his Pa like this before. Cas couldn't place what Balthazar was feeling. Was he angry? Sad? Seething? His Pa had always been the calm, reasonable one while Gadreel would blow off. Cas had yet to see this other side of Balthazar.

"Pa?" Cas asked warily. Balthazar was just standing in the hallway, starting down at the family's various pairs of shoes littering the front entrance. "Pa? What happened with Dad? Why was he behind the counter with Rowena?"

Balthazar's head snapped up when he heard her name, his eyes staring blankly at Cas. Through Cas. The silence was deafening, thick with an anxious worry. It hung in the space between Cas and his father, and all Cas wanted to do was reach out and swat it away. But he couldn't.

They both jumped when violent keys were shoved in the key hole, the door rattling loudly before Gadreel stumbled in, stopping abruptly when he saw both of them standing there. He hadn't bothered to fix his appearance, and his chest was heaving as if he had been running. In contrast to his entrance, he slowly pushed the door shut, letting it click shut. He placed his satchel down and slipped off his jacket and shoes, his eyes on his son and partner the whole time. 

It was Cas who broke the silence with a questioning, "Dad?", stepping forward. 

"Cas," Balthazar said for the first time, his voice sounding distant. "Please, go up to bed. Your father and I have something to discuss."

Cas didn't protest, simply stepping over to his fathers, pressing small kisses to their cheeks as a sign of goodnight. He then trudged up the stairs and to his room. Is his family always going to be this bipolar?

~*~

Later that evening, Cas couldn't sleep. The sounds of his fathers arguing downstairs kept echoing up the stairs and into his room, despite the closed door. Sure, his dads had argued before, but not as bad as this. He could hear Gadreel's roars and Balthazar's slightly higher pitched shouts, and all he wanted to go was block his ears and go to sleep. To ignore what was happening. It worried Cas, to the point where he was concerned about his family breaking up. 

After what seemed like hours of bickering from the men downstairs, Cas decided enough was enough. He knew it was extremely late and Gabriel would get in shit tons of trouble, but Cas needed someone to talk to. He snuck from his room to the hallway, where the upstairs phone sat on a small table just outside his door. He didn't bother being quiet, because he knew his fathers would be too preoccupied to even hear movement above their heads. Grabbing the phone set, he slipped back into his room, closing the door behind him. Cas knew that the phone just reached his bed from all the times that he'd called Gabe in the past. He sat back down and dialled the familiar number, hoping and praying that the phone wouldn't wake Gabe's father. 

The phone rang once before it was picked up. 

"Sam?" came Gabriel's voice down the line, excited and whispering.

Cas frowned. "Uh, no? This is Cas," he said, confusion laced through his voice.

Gabe instantly backtracked, trying to cover up his disappointment. "Oh, hey Cas. Do you mind, uh, getting off the line? I'm waiting for a, uh, personal call," Gabe said. There was a pause before he added, "Wait, why are you calling this late? Is everything okay?"

Cas sniffed, ignoring Gabe's 'personal' request. "No, not really," he said, his voice coming out small and fragile.

He could almost hear Gabe's blood run cold as Gabe warily pressed out a, "Cas? What's wrong?"

"My dads are arguing," Cas said quietly. "And it's really bad this time. Pa and I found Dad cheating with Rowena."

Gabriel gasped dramatically before Cas heard rustling from Gabe's end, which Cas assumed was Gabe getting underneath the thick quilt that Gabe had for talking late at night without his Dad hearing him. 

"He did what?" Gabe said, his voice at a normal tone. 

"I dunno man, but listen." Cas held the phone out from his ear, in the direction that the noise was drifting up from downstairs.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FOUND OUR SON AT A GAY BAR AND THEN ENCOURAGED HIM TO STAY THERE!" Gadreel roared. "ON A FUCKING SCHOOL NIGHT, BALTHAZAR!"

"OH WE ARE NOT TURNING THIS AROUND ON ME, GADREEL. THIS IS ABOUT YOU CHEATING ON ME WITH- WITH . . . THAT WITCH! YOU DESPISE HER, WHICH IS THE PART I DON'T UNDERSTAND! HOW IN THE WORLD COULD YOU-"

Cas brought the phone back to his ear, cutting off Gabe from hearing the fighting partners.

Gabe whistled. "Gee, that's rough, Cas. I'm sorry, man. Is there anything I can do to, ya know, help?"

Cas sighed, wincing as he heard Gadreel's voice increase in volume. The neighbours were sure gonna hear every single word of this, especially now. "Nah, I'm not sure there's much you can do," he replied to Gabe, shifting on the bed to lay down. "Could you just . . . talk to me? Take my mind off it. It'll help me fall asleep."

He could hear Gabe's smile when he said, "Sure, Cassie. What do you want me to talk about?"

Cas hummed, thinking. "Tell me about Sam."

He knew Gabriel blushed furiously at the sound of Sam's name, as he began to stutter, his words not coming out coherently as they were before. "Uh, s-sure. Wha-what about h-him?"

"Just tell me what's going on between you. Tell me how you feel about him. Literally just tell me anything," Cas said, smirking at how head-over-heels his best friend was already. 

"Well, I really like him. A lot. He's a really kind-hearted person and has had life thrown at him, but he's handled it really well and I admire him for it and-"

Cas yawned, stifling it behind his hand. Before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep to the sound of his best friend rambling about his new crush, and his fathers yelling themselves hoarse downstairs. 

~*~


	10. Chuck is a Douchebag

The next morning when Castiel woke, the house was silent. He dressed quietly and packed his bag, before moving downstairs. Much to his dismay, Gadreel was asleep on the couch. He sighed sadly, watching his dad sleep peacefully, before slipping his shoes on and leaving the house.

He had rehearsals that morning, and was extremely nervous about it. On the one hand, he would see Dean for the first time after their amazing night that seemed so distant in contrast to the events that happened afterwards. And on the other hand, he was to see Rowena. He wasn't sure how to act around her. Would she act like nothing happened? Or would she rub it in Cas' face? He'd just have to wait and see.

Cas made it to the studio as his stomach began to rumble. Luckily, they had breakfast catering which had every single breakfast food you could imagine on the menu. Cas waved to the usual security guard, who let him in to the building. He instantly made his way towards Catering, not even stopping by his dressing room to drop off his satchel.

As he dug into his breakfast, the rest of the cast and crew began filling in around him, some taking their own breakfast items, others just waiting around for Chuck's morning announcement.

Cas was finishing up on his bagel when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned to see Dean, beaming at him.

"Dean!" Cas said, mouthful of bagel making it come out more like "beam!".

Dean chuckled at the boy before him, leaning in closer so that no one could overhear his next words. "I can't wait to kiss you again," he murmured, his voice low, making shivers travel down Cas' spine.

Cas flushed red, swallowing his mouthful and stuttering. "Wh-when will th-that b-be?" he asked, trying to mimic Dean's sultriness but failing.

"I dunno, you tell me," Dean said, leaning close enough so that Cas could feel Dean's warm breath fan his face.

But before Cas could come up with some sort of reply, a loud voice interrupted them, making both of them jump back in surprise.

"Good morning, delinquents!" Chuck's voice boomed over the sound stage, capturing the attention of all actors and crew members occupying it. "I have an important announcement."

Cas took one last glance at Dean before turning his full attention to the short man standing on a chair across the room. He noticed Rowena standing next to Chuck, smirking evilly through the crowd at him. Her gaze made Cas shuffle uncomfortably.

"Now, there's no easy way to put this, so I'm just going to come out and say it . . ," Chuck trailed off, glancing around at each individual face below him. "The decision has been made to cancel 'The French Mistake'."

Gasps sounded across the studio, followed by anxious murmurs. Beside Cas, Dean cursed under his breath. Cas frowned, meeting Rowena's eye again. She pointedly stared at him, not breaking her gaze even when Chuck whispered something to her.

"Why?" Crowley called from across the room. The studio silenced, waiting to hear Chuck's response.

Chuck sighed. "There has been rumours that some cast members on this show have been fraternising with members of the same sex, and we can't afford to have that kind of publicity on our show," he explained.

"I bet it was Casti-smell," Crowley retorted, glaring through the crowd at Cas.

"Hey!" Dean cried, "Back off, Crowley. Who it was is none of your business."

Crowley scowled at Dean, crossing his arms over his chest, but stayed silent.

"Anyway," Chuck continued, "there will be no rehearsals today, so everyone can head home. You'll be contacted about lay off payments in the near future."

The crowd grumbled, disbanding and going their separate ways. Dean and Cas turned to each other, slight shock on their faces.

"Do you think . . ?" Cas asked.

Dean abruptly shook his head. "No, it can't be. No one was there at the-"

"Dean, Castiel! Can I see you in my office?" Chuck barked. The two nodded solemnly, before glancing warily at each other and following Chuck. The three of them entered the producer's office, Chuck closing the door behind them.

"Take a seat," he said, motioning to the two empty chairs in front of his desk. Dean and Cas sat, worriedly glancing at each other again. Chuck moved to sit at his desk, grabbing a piece of paper that was lying face down on the desk.

"Boys," Chuck started, sliding the paper towards the pair, "care to explain this?"

Dean reached forward, grabbing the paper and flipping it over. On the other side was a photograph. A poorly taken one of Dean and Cas kissing at the club last night. It looked like it was taken through the window. Cas gasped, however Dean kept his cool.

"We have nothing to say," Dean said, calmly placing the picture back on the desk.

Chuck raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? I think you'll have something to say once this photograph gets sent off to the newspapers," he pressured.

Dean reacted to that, his face darkening. "Are you blackmailing us?"

Chuck laughed. "Of course not!" he said, "I'm blackmailing _you, _Dean_. _I know you have this reputation to uphold, this star profile. A dent like this could be drastic. All I'm saying is, _you_ can save the show." His eyes flicked to Cas. "Castiel leaves, Dean stays, the show is saved. Simple. However, if you both choose to leave, I will give this photo to the tabloids, and there will be no more show. It's up to you."

Cas felt sick to his stomach. What kind of a sick joke is this? His eyes kept wildly darting back and forth between Dean and Chuck. Did _he _get no say in this? Could he not talk to Dean about the decision before Dean makes it? Cas tried to get Dean's attention but Dean was glaring at the producer, his face dark with fury. Surely Dean wouldn't accept this . . . would he?

The silence was thick, and Cas shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as he watched the stare-off between Dean and Chuck. Neither moved a muscle for a while, and Cas wanted desperately to know what Dean was thinking.

After a while, Dean broke the silence. "Alright," he said. "You have a deal."

Cas' blood ran cold and he stared at Dean in disbelief. But Dean purposely wouldn't meet his eye as he stood, shaking Chuck's hand and leaving the room. Cas numbly followed, not even acknowledging Chuck. Dean marched through the hallways of the studio in the direction of the exit, Cas struggling to keep up.

"Dean," Cas called, jogging forward to catch Dean's arm and try to stop him. When Dean pulled his arm away and picked up his pace, Cas only tried harder. "Dean! Stop!"

Dean whirled around abruptly, causing Cas to almost bump into him. "What do you want me to say, Cas? That I'm sorry? That I wish I'd chosen you? Because I'm sorry, but I don't. My career is more important to me than some guy I met a couple weeks ago."

Cas' face fell, Dean's words cutting him like knives. But for some reason, he didn't feel heartbreak, instead he got angry.

"You could've at least talked to me about it first! Now _my_ career is down to drain!" Cas yelled.

Dean scoffed. "A few weeks of secondary acting on a set isn't a career. Plus, it wasn't your decision to make, Castiel. Chuck gave me the choice and I chose the one that benefitted me the most. That's it. Chuck is a homophobic bastard, and I agree that what he did wasn't fair, but I had to do what was best for me in that moment."

Cas stared hard at Dean, eyebrows scrunched in a frown. "Well then we don't do what he wants."

Dean frowned, his eyes searching Cas' face in confusion. "What?"

"We make our own terms. Chuck can't tell us who we love. He can't tell us what to do," Cas argued.

"Uh, yeah he can. He owns us. He owns our career, he owns our reputation. If we go against him, he'll leak that picture," Dean stated.

Cas shook his head. "Not if we blackmail him."

Dean took a step back, staring at Cas like he'd grown another head. "Why would we do that?"

"If we protest against the studio, get all the news studios in and around Lawrence to cover it, he's bound to let us both on the show just to stop us exposing him to the news," Cas said, his voice raising with excitement.

Dean stared at Cas incredulously for a second before taking another step back and shaking his head. "No. No, I can't do it. I can't take the risk. I'm sorry Cas, but you're on your own." Dean shot Cas a sympathetic glance before turning and striding out of the studio.

~*~

An hour later, Cas found himself at The Empty, deciding that he couldn't cope with school. He had wandered around town for a little bit, his brain whirling at over-speed, thinking about Dean's words, and the logistics of the protest. It could work, he just needed more people. And who better to protest against a homophobic bastard than a bunch of gays?

Cas marched into the bar, which he was surprised was open this early, only to find most of his detention friends already there, Gabriel and Sam included.

"Cassie!" Gabe cheered when he saw Cas enter, leaping up to embrace his best friend. "Where were you? What happened?" he asked once they pulled away.

"Yeah, none of the cast of 'French Mistake' showed up for school today, so we were worried something happened," Sam added.

Cas glanced between the pair, as well as at the group surrounding them. He sighed. "'French Mistake' is cancelled," he announced.

Just like earlier at the studio, gasps erupted from all across the room.

"What? Why?" Gabe asked.

"Someone saw Dean and I kissing last night, took a picture and sent it to Chuck. He blackmailed Dean into staying and kicked me off."

Gabe gasped before pulling Cas into a strong hug, squeezing him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Cas," he murmured into Cas' shoulder. Over Gabe's shoulder, Cas saw Sam's face fall, then turn to a pained, almost frustrated grimace as he closed his eyes tightly. He glanced over to Jody, who shrugged.

Cas smiled warmly. "It's okay," he said as he pulled away, "I have an idea. And I need you guys to help me."

"Anything," Gabe assured.

"Good. Because we're gonna march. We're gonna protest against Chuck, threaten to expose him for his discrimination against Dean and I, and who knows who else. And we're gonna get my place on that show back!" Cas said firmly.

Gabe grinned. "That sounds like a great idea," he said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jody asked.

"I'm not just going to sit around and let Chuck get away with being homophobic, especially when he blackmailed Dean as well," Cas argued.

"I agree with Cas," Sam piped up. "The only way we're going to get anyone's attention is if we do something big. If we get the news to cover it, then we'll get the ratings, and people will listen to us."

"That's right. Let's meet here, Friday at 5pm, then that will give us enough time to march through the streets, and make it to the news studio to make the 11pm headline," Cas said, glancing around the room at all the nodding heads. "Bring anyone and everyone you can, make signs, anything. As long as we have the people, we'll get their attention."

Gabe hung his head, shuffling his feet. "Uh Cas?"

Cas turned to look at his friend, but already knew what was going to come out of his friend's mouth.

"My dad's not gonna let me out that late, let alone to a protest," Gabe said sheepishly.

Cas smiled. "That's okay, Gabe. I know you will support me from the comfort of your bedroom," Cas assured, placing a kind hand on Gabe's shoulder. A wave of relief flushed over Gabe's face and he nodded vigorously.

"You always have my support."

"I think we have some cardboard out the back that we could use to make signs," Jody piped up. "Do you guys wanna get a head start now?"

The group nodded and a handful of students followed Jody through a door in search for cardboard and art supplies.

"Even though I can't protest, doesn't mean I won't help make some signs," Gabe said.

Cas laughed. "Of course you can help."  
  


~*~


End file.
